Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre Review

I took my niece here once for her birthday. she loved the touch tank as well as the octopus.

Small but well done. Love the jelly fish and the octopus.

This place is great! I learned a bunch about my new favourite animal, the barnacle!

Tons of fun here! It's kind of small for an aquarium, but has lots of cool stuff. Also very inexpensive to visit.

This aquarium is small, but full of some fantastic ocean creatures. Everything is one-way flow due to Covid, and they limit the number of people in the building at one time, so go early if you don't want to wait in line. Touch tanks are currently for viewing only.

This is nice.... but not for the price! Like another poster said, it's really, really small. 15 minutes would be a stretch, and it's like $15 per adult. Then they have the gall to have donation boxes at the exit too. Really? Really? After how much you charge just to get in?
Not worth your time or money. Well, if it were 1/5 the cost, maybe, just maybe if I happened to be in the area.

Had so much fun here! It was a really great place for kids and had some pretty great interactive exhibits. A little small, but they make do with the space they have very well!

When you think aquarium, you think tropical fish, sharks, etc. Shaw Center takes the opposite approach, focusing instead on the fish and marine life present in the surround waters of the island. This local focus extends to its gift shop, filled with arts and gifts created by local residents and artists. The entire experience feels unique and local in a way I've never seen in another aquarium!

Great place for children, and adults, to get a greater appreciation of the Salish Sea and the wonderful diversity in it.

This was a lot of fun. If you have children or not, it's a neat place to find out about the salish sea and it's a lot of fun to be able to feel some different things from the sea. And "urchin hugs" are the best

I think this place is worth the price if you get the annual pass, have young children, and take advantage of any talks or programs they have. If you are an adult or have teenagers and just want to go once, I don't think its worth the price. Their staff are knowledgeable and eager to talk with you about what you see, however, the center could really use more write ups with info beside the tanks. The pool at the end that kids could get their hands in is a highlight. With a 2 and 4 year old it took us about an hour to go through (that included looking around, sitting in for a talk on sharks, and spending time at the touch pool.)

Fun to take the kid to. They always have something interesting every time we go. For weekends and school holidays there is a great list of activities that the kids will like and parents too.

Well worth the stop. A hands on and informative experience to entice all of your senses.

Been here several times and never at a loss for things to do, or things to learn.

Cool little spot and great for kids. Would definitely recommend.

I found that the large format movie screens they have kinda took away from the type of atmosphere you'd want to have in an aquarium. Also, the octopus wasn't as active as I have seen them in other aquariums. I really enjoyed the large tanks though (see Kelp forest pic)

This place is great, especially if you have kids but even if you don't. Not tons of info on signs to read, but tons of staff wanting to tell you about everything. That's even better. Very clean. I loved the touch pool. My wife liked the staff.

Such a cute little aquarium! A bit small, but well put-together.

A new aquarium with local sea life. Maintained nicely and helpful people to tell you about the attractions they have.

Good for children of all ages. Very knowledgeable volunteers and staff.

This is a great place for the whole family at a really reasonable price.

Great staff and very clean.

Sorry to say it's very small and just NOT WORTH THE PRICE.

Best place to stop with littles right after a long travel journey to the island. Interactive, lots to learn and see! Sustainable loved learning about the sea around us

Fun but expensive for how small it is. That being said, we go almost every year so our more recent trips are quicker than the first couple visits

Love to come here with my little boy and watch all the fishies. So nice to have somewhere in sidney to be able to pop into for a fun activity. Hey the annual pass for sure if you plan on going regularly, so worth it!

Great place to visit, the kids loved it! Like a previous reviewer mentioned it is a bit small, but very well done.

It's a cool aquarium that is good for both kids and adults alike. There is a tidal pond in which kids can touch some sea anemones and starfish. It's not very big, but the tanks are well done. It's a bit pricey. Father's day cost 55$ for three adults and one child.

Great activity for kids. Spent over 3 hrs checking everything out!

Lots for kids but not too big it's not overwhelming.

Staff and volunteers love being engaged with the animals and telling visitors all about them. Fascinating just see the variety of life in our Waters

Awesome great place for tge kids to hang out on a rainy day

Great place to take kids and their aquarium loving father. Short but sweet outing. Lots of interesting local sea life to learn about.

Great place for kids. The season pass is Cheaper than 2 visits.

This cute Aquarium is impressively designed to maximise the beautiful exhibits and the positive impressions of the Salish Sea.

This was a super cool spot. We bought a family pass as we will definitely be going back! It's small but packed with lots of great things to see and learn. Our child loved it.