Canada's Vancouver Aquarium...

One of the premier attractions in Stanley Park and in Vancouver, British Columbia for that matter, is the magnificent Vancouver Aquarium.

It was the very first public aquarium in Canada and is also the largest.

It also happens to be one of the 5 largest aquariums in all of North America.

It's main focus is on conservation and research.

There are over 166 aquatic displays.

One can view sharks, stonefish, angel-fishes, eels, sea-horses and more in the H.R. MacMillan Tropical Gallery.

In the Sandwell North Pacific Gallery one can see beautiful and luminous jellyfish, anemones, octopus and more.

If one's desire is to see fresh water fish like salmon, steelhead and arctic grayling, this can be done by visiting the Rufe Gibbs Hall.

The Max Bell Marine Mammal Centre offers views of the larger animals like whales, seals, sea lions and the like.

My mother, niece and I were staying at the Westin Bayshore Hotel which was so conveniently located for us. We were within walking distance of Stanley Park and availed ourselves of exploring it several times during our 5 day vacation in Vancouver.

This particular day we decided to visit the renowned Vancouver Aquarium.

A huge Orca statue greets one at the entrance to the aquarium. It is titled Chief of the Undersea World and Bill Reid gets the credit for its artistry.

The orca (killer whale) show was amazing. The trainers / handlers had these huge black and white orcas leaping out of the water and doing tricks on command.

The same could be said regarding the beluga whales who are white in color with those recognizable almost smiling faces. They performed in unison and we were warned that people in the audience just might get splashed.

As the orcas would whip their tails against the water delivering a huge spray of water into the crowd, peals of laughter could be heard. My main concern was keeping my camera dry.

The Vancouver Aquarium was the first to capture and put orcas on display.

Much as we enjoyed the show, I would rather think of these magnificent marine animals having the freedom of the ocean and their pods with which to travel and interact.

In 1996 it was decided that never again will the Vancouver Aquarium be responsible for capturing wild whales, dolphins or other cetaceans.

Their prime focus, as mentioned above is conservation and research. They do help abandoned animals or sick ones and try and nurse them back to health in order that they may be released into the wild.

I, for one, am very happy to hear about this direction that they are taking.

After the beluga whale performance, chunks of ice were thrown into their pool.  Apparently they love playing with the ice before it melts. 

The beluga whales would push the chunks of ice ahead of them and do all sorts of gymnastic moves while the ice was still intact.  

Their smooth white faces which always seem to have a perpetual smile on them appeared to really enjoy this special treat and it was fun watching their antics with the ice.  This was not a trick but just appeared to be joyful play on their part. 

The crowd of people watching the belugas playing also wore many smiles upon their faces.

After getting to spend some time at the magnificent Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley Park, I would heartily recommend your visiting there if your travel plans take you to that area. There is much more to see and enjoy in beautiful Stanley Park, but this attraction is one that gets a big "thumbs up" from my experience.