Dave Popowitch

Review of Monterey Bay Aquarium

The Monteray Bay Aquarium would have easily earned...

The Monteray Bay Aquarium would have easily earned five stars from our visit. It is without doubt the best salt water aquarium we have ever visited to date. They hit all the right notes overall, even the cafeteria. Maybe some healthier options, but you cannot please all crowds these days easily with food.

My only concern, and it is was only one, was the level of delusion they are engaging in regarding pollution and global warming and their stance about it on full display. The aquarium made repeated claims across multiple avenues inside the exhibits that oil and gas were the sole reason for all the problems in the oceans. They show pump jacks and offshore rigs multiple times, but nothing else, and tie in verbiage focused on global warming.

This is full blown delusion folks. The entire aquarium was built with equipment, piping, paint, plastic, polyolefins, pvc, acrylic, grease, neoprene, urethanes, the list is endless, of products made from the hydrocarbon supply chain. The people that visit the aquarium staff, the entire modern world, all consume and use these same products every day in their home, car, smart phone, clothes, and food.

What level of denial are we engaging in here people? That said, how about focusing on ourselves instead, and our individual choices? I guess it easier to just ignore that your hybrid or iphone was made with incredibly highly toxic chemicals. Or that big oil is somehow to blame for the worlds pollution.

Please change this message to focus on our individual decisions. What we buy, recycle, compost, and don t buy as well. In the mean time, I will get my butt in a kerosene spewing airplane to visit this aquarium again in the not too far future. Its an amazing place.