Discovery Passage Aquarium
4.5
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
About
The Discovery Passage Aquarium offers fun and unique hands-on educational experiences for people of all ages. Come to see, touch and feel our incredible local marine species and habitats and discover the diverse marine life of Discovery Passage and Islands. The Aquarium is open from spring until fall each year. Specimens from representative local species are collected from the marine environment in the spring and returned to the area of collection at the end of the season.
Duration: < 1 hour
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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4.5
58 reviews
Excellent
37
Very good
16
Average
4
Poor
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S F
Ucluelet, Canada872 contributions
Dec 2023 • Solo
Catch-&-Release Discovery Passage Aquarium, located as it is near Campbell River, is well worth a visit.
It carries on the tradition in Canada of catch & release put in place in Ucluelet, now almost two decades ago in 2004.
The early home of UA — before it moved to its new innovative architect designed location at waters edge on Ucluelet’s inner harbor — was disassembled & transported & reassembled to become a further home for sea animals visiting for some months to educate us land animals on our fellow planet dwellers.
It is open for a shorter time than the UA — from spring to late summer before its yearly sea animals are released back into their ocean home.
Staff are both friendly & knowledgeable .
Posted by S Fuller
Written December 21, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ccduckie
Victoria, Canada208 contributions
Aug 2022
Very small for the price ( I thought it would be free) but enough to amuse a kid for 30 minutes or so. Big touch tank and friendly staff.
Written August 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

sabrina
8 contributions
Aug 2021 • Couples
This place was so cool!!! 10/10! There was sooo much neat stuff , such a good price and the volunteer Ethan was SO knowledgeable and awesome. He spent basically our whole time with us teaching us about all of the different things that they had. I really hope he becomes a marine biologist or something because for someone so young he was so intelligent and passionate. This was such a good experience, even for two adults. Really enjoyed it
Written August 15, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Charles S
26 contributions
Aug 2019
This is a neat aquarium where the animals are just here on vacation. They get released after a stay of I think up to 6 months. Pretty luxurious place for them.
Written December 10, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Coopers
Salisbury, UK6 contributions
Sept 2019
We were looking forward to seeing all the creatures that spend their lives in the acquarium temporarily for the year and then are released, but we went in September and it was closed for the season. Sept is when lots of people travel to see bears and salmon so the aquarium missed a trick. Probably great if it had been open.
Written October 18, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

FreckleLemonade
11 contributions
Aug 2019 • Family
This little aquarium might not look like much from the outside, but don't let that fool you! It was a great experience and we're so glad that we decided to check it out. The staff were very friendly and informative and all the sea critters were fun to touch and learn about. I especially love that all the species are native to the area and that they're released at the end of the season. Overall, I would definitely reccomend checking it out! :)
Written August 23, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

agent713
Stoney Creek, Canada59 contributions
Aug 2019
At first glance this little aquarium doesn't look like it's worth stopping but do yourself a favour and give it a chance. Yes it's small and rather primitive but the staff are incredibly knowledgeable and the number of "touch tanks" make it really interactive and fun.

All of the creatures there are gathered every spring and then released at the end of the season. That means they're all local - and there's an AMAZING amount of creatures!!! - and that they don't live their entire lives in captivity.

Some aquariums are big and overwhelming. This one is perfect for smaller children who don't have a terribly long attention span and for adults who want to learn about the local sea life. Highly recommend.
Written August 19, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

sengokujidai
Salt Lake City, UT285 contributions
Jul 2019
My friends and I drove to Campbell River from Comox specifically to visit this aquarium. I was surprised at how small it was, but was quickly so engaged that I was surprised to find at the end I had been there an hour. It was awesome learning about all the sea life I saw every summer and had no idea what they were called, as well as seeing all the creatures that live in waters too deep for me to get to (I didn’t know there were octopi in these waters!).

The inhabitants of the aquarium are acquired in the harbor at the beginning of every summer and then released at the end. Each tank was fairly small, viewable from multiple angles, and containing a variety of specimens. I loved seeing all the nudibranchs! They were probably my favorite thing there, though the baby octopus was a close second. I also got to see a sea urchin feeding, and hold it, spotted Decorative Crabs in all their camouflage, and learned that Vancouver Island has Eccentric Sand Dollars (so much better than those boring, regular Sand dollars :P )
Written August 7, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Elaine S
32 contributions
May 2019 • Couples
This is a hands on aquarium and the staff are both knowledgeable and helpful. They promote our oceans and educate everyone who comes in. It is wonderful for the children (and adults) to be able to pick up some of the sea stars and sea cucumbers. Highly recommend the aquarium.
Written June 16, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lauren S
39 contributions
Jun 2019 • Family
We really enjoyed this little aquarium! Its reasonably priced and my young children loved seeing the octopus and different marine life from the area. A big bonus that the let everything go at the end of the season!
Written June 6, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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