Monterey – September 11, 2026 -- Monterey Bay Aquarium opens a new bilingual exhibition, "Ocean in Motion / La Danza del Mar," to the public on Saturday, November 7. The exhibit is designed primarily for children ages 2 to 6, though it is open to visitors of all ages, and uses movement and role-play to build empathy for marine animals.
The exhibit features an expanded African penguin habitat as its centerpiece
Visitors can watch penguins dive, swim, preen, waddle, and rest on a rocky beach in the newly enlarged habitat. Nearby digital interactives project silhouettes of penguins in motion, inviting children to waddle, flap, and shake their tails. The Aquarium notes that African penguins are a critically endangered species affected by climate change and overfishing.
A 20-foot coral reef exhibit uses a custom wave machine to move water through the tank
Inside the reef, bluespotted ribbontail rays ripple their fins while clownfish nestle among anemone tentacles. A nearby coral-themed play area lets children move as if they were reef creatures, with a primary pathway built to be accessible to visitors of all ages and abilities.
Big-belly seahorses and leaping blennies get their own immersive habitats
Ceiling-high seagrass towers replicate seahorse habitat, encouraging visitors to hold and twist a seagrass cluster the way a seahorse wraps its tail. A separate exhibit uses floor markings to cue visitors to hop like leaping blennies before reaching a viewing area where the fish leap and flop across wet, water-washed rocks.
Aquarium CEO Jenny Gray says the design activates children's "empathy engine" through play
"By inviting children to move their bodies like a penguin or a leaping blenny and mirror their behavior we're activating their brain's empathy engine through play, and creating a deep and joyful connection with ocean life," Gray said. Exhibit labels are written in a children's-book style, using the animals as main characters so caregivers can read aloud and prompt kids to consider an animal's point of view.
The project was funded through donor gifts, including from the Acton Family and Connie and Bob Lurie
The Susie and Gideon Yu Family sponsored the penguin exhibit specifically. As a nonprofit, Monterey Bay Aquarium relies on visitor admissions, memberships, and donations to fund new exhibits and conservation programs. Members will get access to preview events before the November 7 public opening.