Summer is here and the Oregon Coast Aquarium is offering a variety of fascinating and fun activities for all ages, in addition to the Aquarium's exciting new exhibit, Swampland. Children, young adults and families can participate in day camps, enjoy animal encounters, dive presentations or daily animal feedings during the summer months through Labor Day weekend.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium's Swampland exhibit, which opened Memorial Day weekend, is a fascinating, colorful experience featuring three different kinds of swamps. A 12-foot anaconda and a 6-foot alligator are among the many swamp creatures you can see up close. Visitors can also enjoy the shark tunnel, jellies, sea lions, otters, and sea birds at the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

Interpretive Dive Presentations

Every Saturday during June, July and August

All Ages - Free after Aquarium admission
10:30 am 11:30 am, 12:30 pm, 1:30 pm and 2:30 pm

Daily Animal Feedings;

fishes, birds, seals, sea lions and sea otters
All Ages - Free after Aquarium admission
(Schedule for specific animals in Aquarium lobby and on website, at www.aquarium.org)

Touch an Animal from Swampland

- 4 times daily
All Ages - Free after Aquarium admission
Times vary; twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon

"Freshwater Swamp" in Theater

All Ages - Free after Aquarium admission
14 minute documentary plays continuously (except during interpretive program)

Theater Swamp Interpretive Program in Theater

Thursday - Sunday during June, July, August
All Ages - Free after Aquarium admission
12 pm, 12:30 pm, 1:30 pm, 2 pm and 2:30 pm

Sea Lion Encounters

Every Saturday and Sunday through Labor Day Weekend

10 – 11 am Ages 8 and up $35 members, $40 non-members (limit 10 people per encounter)

Learn about the Aquarium's pinnipeds, get a sea lion kiss and explore behind the scenes at the aquarium. Make reservations in advance by calling 541-867-3474 Ext. 2313.

Octopus Encounters

Tuesdays and Thursdays
11 am – 12 pm Ages 8 and up $30 members, $35 non-member

Learn about the Aquarium's intelligent octopuses and watch a feeding. (Contingent upon octopus and guide availability) Make reservations in advance by calling 541-867-3474 Ext. 2313.

July 9 Sea Squirts: Super Swimmers

10:30am–12pm Ages 2-3/parent $15 members, $20 non-members

Children put on flippers and fins to learn all about how fish swim. A day of fun includes singing and dancing like a fish as children learn what makes ocean animals sensational swimmers.

July 12-16 Oceans of Fun Summer Camp: Animal Adaptations

9am – 12pm Ages 4-5 $80 members, $90 non-members
Children learn why sea urchins have spines and how sea anemones catch their food while staying stuck to the rocks. Songs, crafts and games are featured each day.

Sea Squirts: Winged Wonders

10:30am–12pm Ages 2-3 with parent $15 members, $20 non-members

Children will explore what lives behind the log, sneaks through the grass and swims under the water of a pond and find out why frogs, bugs, and fish call this wet wonderland their home.

July 26-30 Sea Safari Summer Camp: Habitats

9am – 3pm Ages: 1st – 2nd graders entering fall 2010 $135 members, $150 non-members
An adventure into near shore habitats such as the rocky shore, kelp forest and mangrove swamps. Children will learn through songs, crafts and games.

July 31 Cub Scout Combination Sleepover

6 pm – 9 am Ages 6 and up $50 members, $55 non-members

Scouts are invited to sleep with the sharks in the Passages of the Deep tunnels. Enjoy pizza, go on a scavenger hunt, and participate in fun, hands-on activities. Wake up with cereal, juice, coffee, tea and a behind-the-scenes look at how Aquarium staff gets the animals ready in the morning. Register at least two weeks in advance at (541) 867-3474 ext. 5301.

August 1 - 15 Shark Celebration

9am – 6 pm All Ages - Free after Aquarium admission
The Oregon Coast Aquarium will celebrate Sharks August 1 – 15 with a variety of events highlighting the fascinating world of sharks.

The celebration spotlights sharks with face painting, shark stations, a shark camera in the Passages of the Deep shark tunnel, dive interpretations, a shark movie, a theater presentation titled "Myths and Misconceptions" and a children's shark craft. All of the sharks exhibited at the Oregon Coast Aquarium are species native to Oregon's coastal waters. Visitors will meet the sharks from Oregon's coast in the week-long glimpse into the world of sharks.

August 15 Breakfast with the Sharks

8 to 9:30 am All Ages $30 members $35 non members (includes Aquarium admission)

Visitors enter the Aquarium before it opens to the public and enjoy a hearty breakfast while learning about sharks. Breakfast with the Sharks is presented in the Gleason Event Room in front of the private viewing window of the Sharks in the Passages of the Deep exhibit. During breakfast, visitors watch the sharks being fed their breakfast by husbandry staff while an Aquarium biologist gives a talk about their diet, behaviors and physiology. Breakfast is provided by the Aquarium's award winning Local Ocean Café.

Reservations are required by calling (541) 867-3474 ext. 2313.

August 2-6 Oceans of Fun Summer Camp: Animal Behavior

9am – 12pm Ages 4-5 $80 members, $90 non-members

Children learn to bark like a sea lion, dive like a sea bird and change color like an octopus. This camp focuses on how animals act in their home environment. Songs, crafts, stories and games are included each day.

August 13 Sea Squirts: Wonderful Walkers

10:30am–12pm Ages 2-3/parent $15 members, $20 non-members
Children investigate the different ways sea creatures walk around in and out of the water.

August 16-20 Sea Safari Summer Camp: Open Ocean

9am – 3pm Ages 1st – 2nd graders entering fall 2010 $135 members, $150 non-members

Children go on a Journey into the ocean to explore the lives of sharks, jellies, sea lions and more.
August 27

Sea Squirts: Winged Wonders

10:30am–12pm
Ages 2-3 with parent
$15 members, $20 non-members

This class will explore the winged world of the Oregon coast through songs, crafts, and stories.

September 5 (Labor Day Weekend) Family Sleepover

Families are invited to sleep with the sharks in the Passages of the Deep tunnels. Enjoy pizza, go on a scavenger hunt, and participate in fun, hands-on activities. Wake up with cereal, juice, coffee, tea and a behind-the-scenes look at how Aquarium staff gets the animals ready in the morning.

Register at least two weeks in advance at (541) 867-3474 ext. 5301.

6 pm – 9 am Ages 4 and up $50 members, $55 non-members

 Photo at top of article: The Oregon Coast Aquarium's Swampland exhibit features a 6 foot American alligator Alligator mississippiensis. It has the strongest known bite of any living animal, measured at up to 2,125 lbs. per foot in laboratory conditions.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational attraction dedicated to the highest quality aquatic and marine science programs for recreation and education so the public better understands, cherishes, and conserves the world's natural marine and coastal resources. For more information, visit the Aquarium's Web site at www.aquarium.org or call (541) 867-FISH.