While World Oceans Day is June 8, the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre hopes to get folks warmed up to the idea this weekend. The aquarium that educates on all things Salish Sea is set to host a World Oceans Day celebration this weekend.
Captain and naturalist Brett Soberg, a self-professed “bird nerd” knows his stuff on the water and will point out a plethora of winged and water creatures as his Eagle Wing Tours takes folks out on mini tours ($40) to learn more about the Salish Sea.
He took a handful of others out for a quick look on Wednesday in preparation.
“There’s a disconnect between people and their green habitat,” he said, slowly manoeuvring the boat out of Port Sidney. “Everything is relevant, what you do at home has an effect out here.”
Among the group were Brentwood Bay oceaneer volunteers Tanisha and Sierra Carter. The sisters are homeschooled and like to spend a day each week volunteering at the Ocean Discovery Centre.
“It’s teaching other people about a lot of things. If it wasn’t for the ocean a lot of animals would just drop down dead … they need the ocean to protect themselves,” said 13-year-old Sierra. “If you don’t know about certain things, you won’t understand the true potential they actually hold.”
The World Oceans Day celebration runs June 3 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Beacon Park, Sidney. From noon to 2 p.m., Cookeiledh will perform in the pavillion and there will be exhibits all day from the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre, Parks Canada, Capital Regional District, Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Understanding Science, Seachange, Raincoast Conservation and Victoria Compost. Admission to the aquarium is half off that day.
Learn more about the special indoor programs at www.oceandiscovery.ca.
Advanced reservations are required for the 90 minute Eagle Wing tours, 250-384-8008.
Watching whales kindly
Victoria’s Eagle Wing is Canada’s first carbon-neutral whale watching company and the only tour company in Victoria to join the 1% For the Planet movement, contributing one per cent of its annual sales to help protect the environment.