The first of its kind
Nearly three storeys high, at 28 feet tall and 65 feet long, the Kelp Forest exhibit is regarded as the first successful attempt to keep a living kelp forest in an aquarium. While it was being planned, experts doubted that kelp could be grown at this scale.
Sunlight, seawater and surge
Direct sunlight, natural seawater from Monterey Bay and a surge machine that copies the pulse of California’s currents keep the forest growing. David Packard designed and built the machine, which plunges every six seconds; the kelp grows an average of four inches a day.
Life among the kelp
Giant kelp shares the exhibit with fishes native to Monterey Bay, including rockfishes and leopard sharks. Kelp forests along the California coast are as rich in life as tropical rainforests.



