Face to Face With Sharks at the New Seattle Aquarium

The first thing I noticed was the cool, salty air and the gentle sound of water just past the glass. Neon blue light reflected on my shoes, hinting at the world below, while shadows moved quietly in the deep. Suddenly, I found myself face-to-face with the sharks at the new Seattle Aquarium.

For Thanksgiving, my fiancé and I visited the new Seattle Aquarium. I’ve been to the old aquarium many times before, which is still open and connected to the new one, so I already knew all about the Salish Sea and its creatures. The Salish Sea is the inland sea around Seattle and much of western Washington, also called Puget Sound. The aquarium is one of Seattle’s top attractions, and when you’re done, you can walk a few blocks to see other famous spots like the first Starbucks, Pike Place Market, and some of the city’s best restaurants. The old aquarium has everything you’d expect to see in the cold waters of the Pacific Northwest: sea otters, harbor seals, octopus, and tons of endemic fish.

But the new tropical ocean pavilion takes you to the other side of the world. To places you’ve only seen on the BBC’s Blue Planet.

The ocean pavilion features a 500,000-gallon tank with a living tropical reef, and a viewing window that makes you feel like you're part of the ecosystem. Seattle's new aquarium has two of the most endangered sharks alive today: the Indo-Pacific leopard shark and the bowmouth guitarfish. The Indo-Pacific leopard shark is listed as "Vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List, with numbers declining due to overfishing and habitat loss. The bowmouth guitarfish is even more at risk, is officially classified as "Critically Endangered," and is declining rapidly, with some estimates suggesting only a few thousand remain worldwide. Up close, you’ll see the leopard shark moves with the same grace as the African big cat it’s named after. The bowmouth guitarfish is a striking fish that looks like a guitar, and seeing one up close is rare, given how close they are to extinction. Both species are threatened worldwide because of overfishing and habitat loss. The Seattle Aquarium has a breeding program to help these creatures survive and to learn more about their life cycles and habitat needs. The world's rarest sharks are just one reason to visit the new Seattle Aquarium, but you’ll find many more once you start exploring.

By Sayre Klevgaard