An integral part of life in Sitka is the ocean and all that it offers: food, education, and fun! Exploring the intertidal zone by tidepooling is one of the best ways to truly experience these offerings (although we do recommend partaking in the “food” part at a restaurant instead).

Sitka Sound Science Center exhibit

Lucky for you, the Sitka Sound Science Center has an aquarium with touch tanks (and sometimes tidepooling events)! An 800-gallon saltwater tank at the entrance of the building has some fish and invertebrates that are usually found 60 feet below the surface of the ocean. This allows you to get eye-to-eye with deep dwelling rockfish, sculpin, and even a wolf eel! As you walk into the main part of the aquarium, you’ll immediately see a skeleton of a killer whale suspended from the ceiling, which was found in 2011 on nearby Kruzof Island. Along the walls of the aquarium are six mounted aquatic habitats to show mini versions of different marine ecosystems found in Southeast Alaska. You spot the Salmon Bubble at the other end of the aquarium (you can crawl underneath and pop your head into the underwater world of juvenile salmon) before making your way to the touch tanks: an interactive exhibit of the intertidal zone.

Peeking into the salmon bubble

This is where tidepool life is literally at your fingertips. Gently touch the smooth and slightly sticky tentacles of an anemone, carefully inspect a pointy sea urchin, or just admire the large sea stars that thrive within the touch tanks. Aquarium staff are happy to answer any questions you have about these intertidal creatures, and if the timing is right, you might even be able to attend one of their tidepooling events! Science Center staff will lead you to tidepools right next door and give you tidbits of information about this ecosystem in the wild. This immersive aquarium experience is one that children and adults alike will truly enjoy.

Up close and personal with the touch tank critters

If the Science Center isn’t hosting a Tidepooling event during your visit, they offer resources to help you explore Sitka’s intertidal zone on your own. Borrow a field guide and carefully climb over the barnacle-encrusted rocks to reach the pools at low tide. Your handy guide will help you identify sea stars, small fish, and crustaceans – just be sure to leave everything as you found it!

Exploring the tides at the Halibut Point Recreation Center

You can also follow the shoreline with a local guide from Sitka Tribal Tours and hear stories about the traditional gathering of beach asparagus, seaweed, and shellfish. Exploring tidepools this way gives you an opportunity to see how traditional knowledge and modern conservation work together to protect this important environment. Just as the Tlingit people have been nourished by these waters for generations, these traditions will continue to shape and protect the land into the future.