Science

Adventures of a Crab

Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea1 hr 48 min by bus · 24.7 km

✓ Fits your group

Children and adults standing around two low blue touch pool tanks in a room with floor to ceiling windows looking out over the water.

Cost

$7 a child

$112 for 16 children

The minimum charge is the price of 15 students, so a group smaller than 15 still pays for 15.

Ages & size

Grades -1 to 0

Up to 20 children

Duration

45 minutes

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Oct, Nov, Dec

Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri

Book by

Not published

Plan this trip

Fieldy handles all communication and booking for you.

What it actually looks like

Photos from Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea's website

Our note

This is the only program that takes under fives, and it caps at 20 children. Because it all happens in the classroom, book time before or after to walk the galleries and the touch pool, otherwise the children will not see the aquarium at all.

What the children do

A facilitated program for preschool and kindergarten groups, with a minimum age of 3. Children meet a hermit crab looking for a new home and learn about food, protection and shelter through storytelling, games and hands-on, hands-wet learning. Live animal ambassadors are included. It runs entirely in the Ocean's Heartbeat classroom rather than out in the galleries, so plan extra time either side if you want the children to see the tanks and the touch pool.

Sit together in the classroom for a story about a hermit crab looking for a new shell, play games about food and shelter, and get their hands wet meeting live animals the educator brings out. It is 45 minutes in one room, not a walk around the aquarium.

Good to know

Indoors the whole time and 45 minutes long, with one free teacher and a free chaperone for every 5 children. There is nowhere inside to eat, so lunch is on the lawn at Beacon Park, and washrooms are not mentioned on the site.

Sources disagree. Their pages do not agree about Wednesdays. The hours page lists all seven days open, while the school programs page and the facilities page both say they are shut on Wednesdays through the school year. If you are looking at a Wednesday, settle it when you book.

Washrooms

Needs confirmation

Lunch space

We do not have space in our Centre to consume snacks or lunch. The aquarium is situated on Beacon Park by the Sidney waterfront and there are a number of benches as well as a large lawn area. Picnic tables can also be found between Beacon Wharf and the fishing pier, just a couple of minutes' walk from the aquarium. You are able to leave the Centre and re-enter.

Rain backup

There is a large grassy area outside of the facility with a covered band shell in case of inclement weather. The aquarium itself is indoors.

Strollers

Strollers are permitted throughout the aquarium. We just ask that you are mindful of other visitors when you park and be sure not to obstruct doorways or exhibit views.

Wheelchair access

The Centre strives to be accessible to all. A wheelchair is available free of charge on a first come-first served basis. Please ask at our admissions desk. The behind the scenes tour is the exception and cannot be done with a mobility device.

Bus parking

For bus arrivals, students can be dropped off at the entrance but unfortunately there is no bus parking nearby. Bus parking is located at Tulista Park (9565 Fifth Street) and the Mary Winspear Centre (2243 Beacon Avenue). Free two hour parking in the underground lot is limited to vehicles under 6'6" in height.

Nearby park

Beacon Park, on the Sidney waterfront beside the Centre

Restrictions

Food or drink may not be consumed inside the aquarium. For the safety of our animals and visitors, only trained service dogs are permitted in the aquarium. Smoking is prohibited inside the building and within 7m of doorways, this includes e-cigarettes. Siblings of students are unable to participate in the program without prior approval. Youth 13 years and over may visit the Centre without an accompanying adult. All children under this age must be accompanied by someone over the age of 13. Please turn off your flash when taking photos inside the aquarium, and do not use tripods or monopods

Getting there

9811 Seaport Place, Sidney, BC, V8L 4X3

On foot

5 hr 22 min

too far with this group

By bus

1 hr 48 min

includes a 9 min wait

Driving

50 min

The dark pin is Victoria.

View larger map →

Details checked on 2026-09-03 against the venue’s own pages. Something wrong? , it takes one tap. · Venue page · 250 665 7511