In July, the Monterey Bay Aquarium at Monterey, CA will open new galleries featuring “The Open Sea”, which aims to highlight the epic migrations of ocean animals and the constant motion of life in the open ocean. Senior Exhibit Developer Jaci Tomulonis explains;

“The open sea is one of the few truly wild places left on the planet,” and “in addition to introducing visitors to the diverse species that make their homes here, The Open Sea exhibit will offer simple ways to help protect ocean animals so they’re around for generations to come.”

The aquarium’s white shark research project resumes in 2011, and a young great white shark could again be on exhibit in late summer. The field research team will also tag and track juvenile great white sharks in the wild, gathering information vital to the protection of these ocean predators as they move through coastal waters in southern California and Mexico.

THE VAST AND THE FAST: EXPLORE THE OPEN SEA AT THE MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM IN JULY.

Newly transformed galleries offer close encounters with seabirds, sharks, jellies, turtles and more

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is transforming the way people see the oceans with a new perspective on the vast, virtually unexplored waters of the open sea. In July, the aquarium’s acclaimed Outer Bay galleries re-open as The Open Sea —shining light on epic migrations of ocean animals across the Pacific and the constant motion of life in the open ocean.

The remodeled Open Sea galleries carry visitors beyond our coasts, to a vast world of deep, open water. Immense swirls of schooling fishes, pulsing jellies, skilled predators such as sharks and tunas, and seasoned travelers like sea turtles and seabirds share this wild territory. In one instant the water appears empty; in another, teeming with life.

“The open sea is a dynamic place where life is in constant motion,” says Senior Exhibit Developer Jaci Tomulonis. “Complex forces drive currents which, in turn, influence living conditions for ocean animals. The Open Sea galleries bring our visitors deep into the heart of this extraordinary environment through transformed live exhibits, new multimedia experiences and surprising artistic elements.”

In three different galleries, remarkable new species including tufted puffins, sandbar sharks and deep-sea jellies join aquarium favorites such as tunas, rays, sea turtles and the occasional great white shark to introduce visitors to life in this sweeping realm.

The “Out to Sea” gallery carries visitors into the ebb and flow of powerful currents where microscopic plankton and delicate jellies thrive. Get an up-close view of tiny phytoplankton, which form the base of a food web on which everything from sharks and whales—and even people—depend.

Drift into the heart of a massive bloom of jellies and investigate how changing ocean conditions, some possibly influenced by human activities, may be causing these creatures to proliferate. Currents rule in the open sea and a wide range of invertebrates—from microscopic copepods to black sea nettles with lacy oral arms up to 20 feet in length—flourish in this forever shifting world.

But it’s not just drifters that prosper here; some animals live fast in the open sea. In the million-gallon Open Sea exhibit visitors meet animals that are built for speed, agility and endurance. Tuna, mackerel, barracuda and sardines flash through the water in streaks of silvery scales. Scalloped hammerhead and sandbar sharks appear to be languid swimmers until they turn their supple bodies on a dime. The sandbar sharks, a new species for the aquarium, are easily identified by towering dorsal fins that slice effortlessly through the water.

The aquarium’s pioneering white shark research project resumes in 2011, and a young great white shark could again be on exhibit in late summer. The field research team will also tag and track juvenile great white sharks in the wild, gathering information vital to the protection of these top ocean predators as they move through coastal waters in southern California and Mexico.

Joining the frenetic pace of The Open Sea are slow-moving sea turtles, pelagic stingrays and ocean sunfish (mola mola), which have evolved their own methods of survival in this deep blue world.

The “Ocean Travelers” gallery tells the story of marine animals that make long journeys on the ocean’s migratory highways. Perhaps some of the most accomplished ocean voyagers are sea turtles, many of which swim thousands of miles each year. This gallery will be home to juvenile green sea turtles, in a new exhibit. Eventually young loggerhead sea turtles will also find a home here.

Tufted puffins, striking seabirds that sport distinctive sweeping yellow plumage on their heads during breeding season, will make their aquarium debut, too. Dubbed “sea parrots” by early sailors for their stout bodies, short wings and orange or red webbed feet, these engaging birds are expert divers and spend most of their lives in the water. Their new exhibit home gives visitors the opportunity to watch them dive, preen and swim.

“The open sea is one of the few truly wild places left on the planet,” says Tomulonis. “In addition to introducing visitors to the diverse species that make their homes here, The Open Sea exhibit will offer simple ways to help protect ocean animals so they’re around for generations to come.”

The aquarium is located on historic Cannery Row in Monterey and is open daily except Christmas Day. Hours of operation vary by season. Daily schedules are available online or by calling (831) 648-4888.

More information is available online at online or by calling (831) 648-4888. Advance tickets can be purchased online or toll-free by phone from the aquarium at (866) 963-9645. Seasonal specials, details about special events and programs, family activities and live web cams can all be found online.

The mission of the Monterey Bay Aquarium is to inspire conservation of the oceans.