Monday- Aquarium

Coffee, Kids, and a 600-Foot Dive

We kicked off our Monday in Seward slow and easy—coffee in hand, breakfast with the crew, and kids slowly waking up one by one. Once we got everyone ready, we made our way to the Alaska SeaLife Center.

The SeaLife Center isn’t just an aquarium—it’s also Alaska’s only permanent marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation facility. Their mission is to care for injured or orphaned animals and return them to the wild when possible. For the ones who can’t go back, they become long-term residents and help educate visitors like us.

The kids were completely drawn in. They bounced from tank to tank like their own little school of fish—pointing, giggling, asking questions. One of the coolest facts we learned was about the thick-billed murre, a bird that looks pretty ordinary until you hear it can dive up to. It regularly dives around 300 feet, but has been recorded diving as deep as 600 feet—making it the deepest-diving bird in North America.! It uses its wings to swim just like a penguin.

We watched puffins dive, sea lions glide by, and all sorts of colorful sea life swimming around us. It was fun and educational in the best kind of way—no pressure, just curiosity.

The SeaLife Center was such a fun way to start the day—and definitely worth the stop if you’re ever in Seward.Read more