SEA Lab
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90 families found this helpful
"A Hidden Gem"
This place is great for the little ones. They have tanks inside with various fish to look at but the best part is the tour that you go on where you can go into the back and touch and see fish in the various tanks. They also have a nice outdoor tank with some big fish, where they can hold a birthday party. Love this place! They don't have a set price, just a recommended donation. Park right across the street in the metered lot on a non-busy beach day.
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1 family found this helpful
"a great place for field trips"
(disclaimer: My pre-mommy job was a reporter in the South Bay, and I've been lucky enough to work with the SEA Lab quite a bit!)
It's important to know in advance that the SEA Lab is not an aquarium!
First and foremost it is a rehabilitation center for sea life that gets trapped in the neighboring power plant's intake pipes (the AES plant draws in ocean water for its cooling system: sometimes fish and other marine critters get trapped and injured in the filters.)
Secondly, the SEA Lab is an extension of the Los Angeles Conservation Corps; all the kids who work there (corps members) start as volunteers and can later be hired on. It provides great educational and hand-on occupational experiences for those corps members.
Anyway, on the the SEA Lab itself! It is a small facility, with a few tanks, displays, a gift shop/office, and classroom inside. Inside, there are jellies, crabs, local fish and THE BIGGEST, BURLIEST lobster I've ever seen. Outside there is a small ampitheater of sorts, with a large "stone" pool at its center with rays and small sharks swimming around in it. Further on the property, where you must go as part of a tour (which are scheduled throughout the day, you just show up and corps members will escort you in.) there are the holding and rehabilitation tanks. There, you can see species such as sea bass and lobster and other animals from the local shores.
There is a native plant nursery (corps members have been actively working to restore the local dunes, replacing the iceplant with native flora... also helping to increase the previously almost-extince El Segundo Blue butterfly population.) and a baby abalone nursery.
The SEA Lab is very industrial -on decomissioned power plant property and with bargain-basement holding tanks, don't expect elaborate faux-habitats that you might find at Long Beach Aquarium. But, it's a great place to learn a little about local marine life, local conservation efforts, and some of the educational programs available through the SEA Lab.
I took our little one just once, when she was about 13 months old, and I think she enjoyed seeing some of the fish, but the information -obviously- was lost on her. Elementary school kids would love this place!
(note, there is a pay-parking lot next to the SEA Lab, free street parking about a half-mile up the hill from it. Redondo Beach has REALLY pricey meters, so bring change!)
'11, '12
1 family found this helpful
"Come "sea" and touch the ocean animals"
If you happen to be in the Redondo Beach area, this is a place you might want to stop by. The place is completely unassuming, but it's a coastal science education center. It houses rescued ocean animals, including seahorses and jellyfish. I think the best attraction is the touch tank tours that take place outside, where visitors can touch and learn about the various sea life creatures. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. Don't forget your quarters, as there is only metered parking available in an adjacent lot or along Harbor Drive.
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