6 Great Aquariums with Live Cameras
Being suck in the house has created a new data search for me. What can I do Virtually? Live cameras are the key. So, I am looking at visiting Aquariums.
I really love looking at some fish but I believe that I like turtles, jelly fish, sting rays, otters, sharks, and frogs the best. So, I am in search of them. Also, any place that has a camera outside to see the ocean.
My favorite Aquariums is Monterey Bay Aquarium but that is because I live in Pacific Grove and Monterey for several years of my life in high school and as a young adult. The Aquarium was right across the street from my first job in a tourist shop which was the same shop that Steinbeck played cards in.
The sardines have a special place in my heart as my son would watch them go round and round as a baby. It was his favorite place to be.
Most of the Cam have certain hours that you can watch live with a bit of a pre recorded video on the off hours. The hours listed below are Pacific Time, i.e. California. But one of the greatest parts is that most of the cameras have music to go with the cams.
But then Monterey Jazz Festival happens every year since 1958 with over 5,000 artist in three days. It happens every September. I have been and it was amazing!
The Aviary Cam are available from 10 am to 10 pm. It has a few beach birds hanging out. A lot of their beaks are super thin and long.
The Coral Reef Cam is available from 12:30 pm to 8 pm. The cam has different colored fish, sea fans, interesting coral pieces, but the camera guy was not very good the day I was watching.
The Jelly Cam is available from 10 am to 9 pm. I love Monterey. They have the reddish Jelly fish with purple and red tentacle but they have music that goes with it. This you can watch for a very long time. They have picked the perfect music too.
The Kelp Forest Cam is available from 10 am to 10 pm. Kelp is such an important part of the food that fish eat. I always loved looking at it but not so much when I was surfing. The colors on the fish are a bit muted as the kelp forest is generally in cold water areas. It attaches to the bottom of shallow waters and grows to the sun light.
The Monterey Bay Cam is available 24 hour a day. This is a great camera view of the rocks just outside the Aquarium with sea otter, seal, and birds coming into view. The waves slap against the rock in a calming sea sound. And it looks out on it the Pacific Ocean. Once in a while you can see a boat in the distance coming into the bay.
The Moon Jelly Cam is open from 10 am to 10 pm. Moon Jelly fish are a whitish gray that seem to glow like the moon. They float across the blue background with this calming music. Just so relaxing.
The Open Sea Cam is from open 10 am to 10 pm. This camera has sharks, sting rays, and a bunch of fish. The hammerhead shark is in here. You can see the bubbles come up from the bottom and it is very lowly lite. But the music is perfect.
The Penguin Cam is open from 10 am to 8 pm. The penguin have a waddling music with a beat today. The Aquarium has been set up with lots of rock coves for the little guys. Did you know that Penguins were rock climbers?
The Sea Otter Cam is open from 10 am to 10 pm. Sea Otter faces are just to adorable. Sea Otters are generally very social so you can almost always find them playing together. It almost looks like they are wresting or trying to drown each other. lol
The Shark Cam is open 10 am to 10 pm. The shark tank has several different types of sharks, large fish, sea anemones, a bit of kelp, and more. Look for the fish that seems to be swimming sideways. He actually has two eyes on top. The music here is a bit more forbidding.
The National Aquarium streams during business hours only but they has previously recorded live stream segments as they are closed. They also have coloring pages A to Z and word searches for you to download and print which include an area to color and fun facts. Plus all the cameras are on the same page so follow it down.
Blacktip Reef which has Blacktip Sharks, rays, and some colorful fish. Totally cool. The sharks and rays come right at you. Purple fish, yellow fish, blue fish, red fish, and so many more. I feel like Dr. Seuss should be writing a book about this!
The little fish hide in the coral reef and the shark start to stir up the fish. But one of the fish that shares this take, the Humphead Wrasse, can grow to be six feet long and 400 pounds. It looks bigger then the sharks do!
Check the whole website for a list of all the fish that are in the tank. Then try and check them off as you find them. It could take hours to catch them all.
Jellies Invasion has Blue Blubber Jellyfish. Totally cool to watch. Jellyfish swim by drawing in water and then forcing it out again from the bell like heads. They are the most energy efficient swimmers of the sea.
I love watching them pulsate around the tank. It seems like that are glow in the dark. It almost unreal. There legs look like brain matter. Most look blue but others look white and some a dark gray. They are making me very calm.
Pacific Coral Reef has everything from reef fish to wonderful corals.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium which is about 90 minutes from Orlando, Florida.
The Winter Zone Cam 1, Winter Zone Cam 2, Winter Zone Cam 3, and Winter Zone Cam 4. These four cams follow Winter, Hope, and PJ. The three dolphins are just enjoying life and relaxing when I was watching but they seem to be looking for something or someone. I am guessing that they are use to people being around.
Nicholas Cam 1 is underwater and Nicholas Cam 2 is his whole swimming area and the cam follow Nicholas round. He was cool. Jumping out of the water and all. But like the other dolphins, he seems to be looking at the for someone. About 11:45 am, trainers came out and were playing with him and giving him some fish.
The Otter Cam did not seem to have any otters the two times that I checked but it is possible that they might be back for you. I love otters. They are like the cutest.
The Pelican Cam is nice. They have about four or more pelicans. Just cleaning themselves and hanging out.
The Mavis’s Rescue Hideaway Cam has several sea turtles, a bunch of fish, and stingrays. Two divers were feeding them about 11: 45 ish EST. So check about this time because they all come out and into view.
Except the one that was hiding his head in the rocks taking a nap during lunch. Looks like the diver is taking a special trip down to feed him.
The divers even waved and sent kisses and hearts to the viewers. Totally cool.
The Turtle Rehab Cam is down as they doing have a current patient but check it any way, I am sure this changes all the time.
The Aquarium of the Pacific is located in Long Beach, CA. They have have a Online Academy for children and adults with workbooks and virtual classroom sessions plus coloring books and activities. Check it out if you need a few minute rest from the children or you would like to learn more.
The Penguin Habitat has a Above the Water and Below the Water Cam. Watching Penguins swim is fun then watching them waddle on the land. Just amazing to see how they can move in water vs on land.
The Shark Lagoon Cam has a few sharks and fish that are almost as big as the sharks circling around.
The Sea Jellies Cam has jellyfish that are yellow with reddish tentacles coming out of the and white legs and they glow.
The Tropical Reef Cam has over 1,000 different animals from sharks to sting rays to very colorful fish. The exhibit is based on the Blue Corner which is considered one of the most beautiful dive sites which is located of the coast of Palau. I must say that it is beautiful. Every where you look is another type of fish with different colors.
The Blue Cavern Point Cam is a kelp forest. It is represents the Santa Catalina Islands off California Coast. As the Tropical Reef is busy with lots of activity, the Blue Cavern is that of slower moving fish or at least less of them, and calming.
The Anthias and Wrasse Exhibit has lots of colorful fish with amazing abilities. Most of them are protogynous hermaphrodites. What a mouth full! But it means that they are born one sex and change when the resident male or female dies, depending on the type of fish, the largest in the group will change sexes and become the new resident male or female.
5-Georgia Aquarium
The Georgia Aquarium has lots of great cams with all kind of wild life and fish. The one thing that I don’t like is that you have to rehit play to keep it going, therefore after about 10 minute it just stops.
The Piranha Cam is full of these fish with teeth. They are beautiful colored with purple, greens, oranges, reds, blues, and rainbows color in between with a black and white tails. Check out their teeth when they get close to the cameras.
The African Penguin Cam has come very nice rocks and a great overview of the water. As always, the Penguins are really cool waddling on land and in the water.
The Ocean Voyager Cam has all kinds of fish, sharks, and string rays. Some of the fish are as big as the sharks. I love the school of yellowish green fish that are running around the tank. But watch for a bit. They have to types of shark and string rays.
The Southern Sea Otter Cam is very cool. Otters are very cool. They swim around usually on their backs so you can see their cute little faces. They also will waddle around on the land once in a while. I love the fact that they are spin around as they swim.
The California Sea Lions are great to watch because they do jumping, diving, and a bit of swimming. They just ham it up for the cameras. But they also, know how to find just out of shot of the camera. So, give them a moment and they will be back…lol
The Underwater Puffin Cam only works out when they are actually under water. A Puffin is a black and white bird that kinda looks like a Penguin with an orange beak and feet. The orange part of the beak is shed as soon as breeding season is over and they get a little back beak.
But it is really cute to see the little orange feet in the water and they look like ducks as they paddle but as they swim it is a cross of a bird flying through the air and a penguin. It is very strange.
The Indo-Pacific Barrier Reef Cam has lots of muted colors from pinkish purples to greenish gray. But the fish are bright blues, yellows, and very interesting patterns.
The Beluga Whale Cam has some of the most interest looking whales. The are white whales with the face of like a dolphin. They seem to circle the tank but they ways come up to the camera as some point and seem to look at it which will give you a great view of their faces. It looks like the tank also has a few sea lions in it.
The Jelly Cam is always a favorite of mine but I really love this one. The jelly fish have lots of space. It is like looking into the sky with jelly fish swimming down in one tank. Then the camera moved to a different tank but wait for the big blue tank. This jellies are white to yellow with brown veins. So, cool.
6-Maui Ocean Center
Maui Ocean Center is in Hawaii. They is either 2 or 3 hours ahead of California time. They don’t have daylight saving time. But it is two or three more hours of daylight.
The Live Cam & Gallery has some very big fish, a few different kinds of sharks, and sting rays. I love the colors in this exhibit. Plus the camera angle. The sharks and sting rays come out of nowhere on top of the camera.
The for all of you that have a little cabin fever. They have an outside view of the bay with a docking area for boats. A few cars driving by.