Morro Bay Aquarium and Gift Shop

595 Embarcadero, Morro Bay, CA 93442, USA

Address:	595 Embarcadero, Morro Bay, CA 93442, USA
Phone:	+1 805-772-7647
Rating:	3.1
Working:	9:30AM–5PM 9:30AM–5PM 9:30AM–5PM 9:30AM–5PM 9:30AM–5PM 9:30AM–5PM 9:30AM–5PM

Location

+−

Leaflet

Photos 100

Reviews 10

Stevie Coyle

Miserable, old-school throwback to times when people who should have known better didnt know better. Captive-bred sea lions and seals are kept their entire nightmarish lives in tiny, filthy, moldy concrete bathtubs. This hellhole, having been established 54 years ago, got grandfathered into modern classifications it does not merit. Somehow it falls through the legalistic cracks, and apparently cant be closed by the USDA or the ASPCA. However, citizens can vote with their feet and their dollars by staying away from Morro Bay until the town finds the intestinal fortitude to do the right thing and close this blight forever. Worse still, it claims to be educational establishment. I cant imagine taking a child into such a sad, sad place. Aside from decades-old signage that applies to long-dead animals, the only thing this abattoir teaches is that its okay to be cruel to animals.

Danielle Gray

If I could give 0 stars I would. $3 Per person for a reason. My boyfriend and I immediately wanted to leave. Spent about 1 minute in there because my heart sank and I felt so bad contributing to their profit. Depressing and horrible for the animals. Definitely animal abuse. Not sure why they are allowed to keep animals here. Should continue solely as a gift shop NOT an aquarium. These animals should be moved to the Monterey Aquarium. Even the fish and starfish. The seals and sea lions have tanks about as long as their bodies. The environment is dark and tanks and animals look neglected. We immediately walked outside to leave this review. No wonder they dont allow refunds. Do NOT go into the aquarium. We were just walking around the area and happened to go inside. Seals sound distressed, not hungry. BOYCOTT or CLOSE this place.

Aidan Cota

This place is gross. Like, actually disgusting. How its still open boggles my mind. You can hear the distressed cries of the seals from the streets. I visited once when I was younger, and these creatures have about a 10x10 foot concrete cell to call home. How anyone sees this as fun or entertaining is beyond me, these people just like to make money off of naive tourists and cruelty. If you want a better spot to see wildlife in a humane way, the seals are normally hanging out along the bay, the Rock is always a great place to spot them along with otters and marine birds! I would also recommend checking out the Morro Bay State Park. They have a natural history museum whose staff keeps tabs on wildlife activity in Morro Bay and will let you know the best places and times to view them. Dont give your money to this terrible place.

Lauren Coffman

If you visit and are casually walking downtown with kids you will probably want to stop here but be prepared! You need cash to get in, cant use atm or credit. Once in you will need to buy fish if you wish to feed the seals. Im not huge in animal rights but anyone can see its just kinda sad! There are usually 4 seals that can swim between 4 enclosures...and they are small and usually dirty! Small kids will enjoy the experience of feeding them hearing them and them doing tricks. Then off to the other room which is always hot and stuffy! Kids tend to be bored and run thru it fast...if it is possible for fish to have depression these all have it! Slightly lifeless just sad! My kids enjoyed it when they were little but now they are older and realize...I do think they have another tank for the seals but who knows

Andrew Murphy

My girlfriend and I went here on a whim after eating lunch in Morro Bay without any prior knowledge of this place. At a $3 entry fee, it seemed like it could be somewhat enjoyable. However, outside of the building you can hear the seals and sea lions cry in agony. Inside, the living conditions were awful; seals/sea lions are forced in dingy tanks barely big enough to fit their bodies in with no toys, the only thing they have to do is cry out and beg for food. Deeper within the aquarium, the fish live in conditions that are just depressing. A good portion of the fish were dead, and those living reside in filthy and tiny tanks. Do not support this business, the owners do not deserve to turn any profit from this pathetic excuse of an aquarium.

Mary Elizabeth

Coming here was one of the worst experiences Ive ever had, I will be forced to live the rest of my life with the crushing guilt that I contributed to this disgusting joke of an aquarium. all of the animals were sick, injured, or already dead at the bottom of their tank while other animals swam around them. One of the sea lions was very ill looking, they were kept in very small, shallow pools. The fish were kept in goldfish size tanks despite being giant exotic sea life that took up 1/3 of the tank. The fish were all lying in the rocks , the tanks were deteriorating and there was even a giant octopus squeezed into a tiny tank by itself. Happy to.hear theyre closing, I strongly encourage everyone to avoid this place like the plague.

Clay Ostrander

You dont have to be an animal activist to appreciate this: regardless of your stance on animal rights, you will be saddened by the conditions here. We left the facility in a pretty strange mood after seeing the poor animals in such horrendous conditions. I wish I read the reviews before going on a whim. Our whole group was appalled at the treatment of animals in the place - its absolutely disgusting. This place makes Seaworld look good and should be shut down immediately. I cannot imagine any circumstance that would deem it appropriate to keep this animal prison in business. Straight-up inhumane conditions. On top of everything, this place is completely unregulated. Kids are left unsupervised, throwing taffy into the seal pools.

Victoria Hibpshman

I absolutely adore this tiny quaint little aquarium! It is part of some of my fondest childhood memories! I plan to bring my kids there someday should I ever decide to have any and should i ever come into large quantities of money I look forward to being financially available to donate a large sum in order to help this place thrive! All those negative nancys who call it a prison and blah blah blah well I guess to each his own. Somebodies gotta rain on other peoples parade. I say go there and decide for yourself instead of just taking some random strangers opinion on things. But as far as all my experiences have gone they have been nothing but pleasant and positive! And for the record seals are loud...thats just how they are.

Noelle Sisneros

Local biologists and animal lovers alike are calling for a boycott of this awful place before they can renew the lease in 2018. The conditions here are disgustingly inhumane, with tiny enclosures only big enough for the seals to swim in circles all day with no toys, companionship, or stimulation of any kind. They also grow fat because the owners allow people to feed the seals all day instead of feeding them the controlled diet they do need to thrive. This is more prison than aquarium. Please do not take your children here, there are much better places in Morro Bay to observe seals in their natural habitat, not locked in a shallow tank for us to gawk at. Do not support this business.

Patrice Frazier

Hell on earth for marine animals. All the animals look sick, discolored and are extremely docile. If you take a snorkel or scuba dive in the local marina or near Morro rock youll see these exact animals playfully interacting with one another. This aquarium is immoral, unethical and a prison for these poor animals. One sea lion has spent 30 YEARS in a cubical-sized cage in this aquarium- you can hear his/her cries from down the street. The owners deserve prison time for this cruel money-making scheme. Dont be fooled, THIS IS NOT A REHABILITATION CENTER.