Public Programs

Study Cruises onto Long Island Sound
Cruise out with us aboard the research vessel Oceanic for thrilling explorations of the Sound's marine life: with a variety of animals brought up right onto the boat (April-October) or to look for some of the seals & waterfowl that winter in the Sound (December-April).  

Details ...

Horseshoe Crab Tagging Training
Attend one: Wed., May 8 at 7 p.m. or Sun., May 12 at 7 p.m.
It may not occur with the passion of Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr, but the spring moons soon will be drawing male and female horseshoe crabs up onto our beaches for an annual mating ritual.

Staff from The Maritime Aquarium will be on hand to greet them. But your help is needed.

We're seeking volunteers to help attach census tags to horseshoe crabs as the crabs come up out of the water to spawn at Calf Pasture Beach.  It’s all part of a census of horseshoe crabs in Long Island Sound, being led by Dr. Jennifer Mattei of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield.  The Maritime Aquarium is assisting with the census and tagging.

Dr. Mattei’s census is establishing a baseline crab population and will reveal horseshoe crab migrations and any changes in numbers or behaviors. The data is needed because horseshoe crab eggs are an important food source for migrating shorebirds. If the horseshoe crab population declined, that could mean fewer birds on our coastline. 

Horseshoe crabs come up onto beaches on the nights of the full and new moons. That’s a tagging bonanza time for researchers, so extra volunteers are needed to help.

To participate, volunteers should attend one of two training sessions at the Aquarium: at 7 p.m. on either Wed., May 8 or Sun., May 12.  They’ll learn about the natural history of horseshoe crabs, what has been learned so far from the census work, and how to safely tag horseshoe crabs. Volunteers should be in 10^th grade or older. Younger children can assist if working with a parent, teacher or guardian.

Tagging sessions at Calf Pasture will be held on selected mornings and evenings later in the month of May and also in June.

To sign up or for more details, call The Maritime Aquarium at (203) 852-0700, ext. 2352, or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Shark Dives
Thursdays, Saturdays & Sundays at 12:15 & 2:15 p.m.
NOTE: Our Aquarium Dive Team is an all-volunteer crew. Dives may sometimes be cancelled with short or no notice due to availability. Ask your cashier when you arrive.
Would you jump into a tank of water filled with 6- and 7-foot sharks? Actually, it can be done – bloodlessly – because sharks aren't really the aggressive man-eaters of popular myth. Come see for yourself when The Maritime Aquarium's dive team spends some quality time among the sand tiger sharks, lemon shark and other creatures of the 110,000-gallon "Ocean Beyond the Sound" exhibit. Thanks to a cool communication link, you can even talk with the divers while they're in the exhibit with the sharks! They'll tell you that sharks should be respected ... but not feared.
FREE with Aquarium admission.

See what our volunteer divers see in this video:

“Behind-the-Scenes Tours”
On the third Saturday of every month, at 8:15 a.m. 
Operating the aquarium is a complicated production that must satisfy more than 1,000 animals with varying requirements for food, water temperatures and salinities, and more. See how it’s all done when you visit our jellyfish “nursery” and the “fish kitchen,” where meals for our residents are prepared. We’ll go above the "Ocean Beyond the Sound" exhibit, where you can look down on the sharks in their 110,000-gallon tank ... and even toss in some fish for them to eat! And feel the tickle as you hand-feed the cow-nosed rays!
Participants must be 10 years and older. Anyone under the age of 15 must be accompanied by an adult. "Behind-the-Scenes Tours" cost $25 ($22.50 for Aquarium members) Does NOT include Aquarium admission. There is a maximum of 25 people per tour. Advance reservations strongly recommended. Walk-up sales are accepted.

For reservations, Purchase tickets online (click on the date you wish to come) or call The Maritime Aquarium at (203) 852-0700, ext. 2206. Space is limited.

 

Toy Boat-Making Workshop
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays & Sundays.
Visit the Toy Boat-Making area on weekends for a fun 20-minute boat-building project. Build and decorate a toy sailboat to take home as a special keepsake of your Maritime Aquarium visit. Cost: $5 per child (in addition to Aquarium admission).