Into the Deep introduction & background

Going deep: Exhibition introduction

When our founders first envisioned Monterey Bay Aquarium over 45 years ago, they wanted to create a world-class aquarium that showcases the unique marine environment of Monterey Bay—and they achieved that goal. Today, when visitors walk through our doors, they are awed and inspired by our playful and adorable sea otters, by the hypnotizing beauty of the kelp forest, by the bountiful marine life in our Open Sea Exhibit, and all the other Monterey Bay habitats we represent throughout the Aquarium. Continuing that legacy set forth by our founders, in April 2022, we’re adding more depth to the story of Monterey Bay with the opening of Into the Deep: Exploring our Undiscovered Ocean. 

This new exhibition takes an unparalleled descent into the ocean’s depths that is usually completely inaccessible to people, but is thriving with life. Though some may assume it's a distant and disconnected place, it’s actually the largest living space on our planet, and life on Earth depends on the deep sea. Even with the health of our planet so closely tied to the health of the deep sea, we arguably know more about outer space than this vital ecosystem. And, while most of the deep sea remains unexplored, attempts to exploit its resources are already underway.

With five years of development and a generous $15 million gift from The Grainger Family Descendants Fund, Into the Deep is the largest exhibition of ocean life in North America at approximately 10,000 square feet. It reveals the mysteries and importance of the habitat to the public, presenting fascinating and rarely seen animals and the reasons their home needs protection.

Deep connection:  Exhibition background

Monterey Bay Aquarium is distinctly positioned to create this ambitious exhibit. Our back deck sits on the edge of Monterey Bay, home to an underwater canyon that rivals the Grand Canyon in depth. Monterey Canyon brings the deep sea close to shore here, allowing our animal care team access to the normally hard-to-reach habitat.

The Aquarium also works closely with MBARI, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, a leader in scientific study of the deep sea. MBARI’s mission is to advance marine science and technology to understand a changing ocean. Its groundbreaking research has provided new insights about deep-sea animals, their habitats, and ocean health.

Deep ties: Monterey Bay Aquarium and MBARI

Monterey Bay Aquarium opened in 1984 after a group of marine scientists, local residents, and members of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation of Los Altos, California, formed the Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation in 1978.

After he funded the creation of the Aquarium, David Packard recognized the need for a separate research institution focused on developing innovative technologies for exploring and understanding the ocean. He founded MBARI in 1987 to establish a new type of oceanographic institution—one where scientists and engineers worked side-by-side—because he believed the ocean was the most important frontier we have left.

Though we operate independently of one another, Monterey Bay Aquarium and  MBARI collaborate on a continuous basis in support of our shared ocean research and conservation goals. MBARI is the Aquarium’s research and technology partner, and the Aquarium is MBARI’s education and conservation partner. Together, we work to educate the public about the ocean and share the knowledge and technology innovations gained from MBARI’s work with the global science and conservation community.

The Into the Deep exhibition is the ultimate expression of our close-knit relationship and showcases our organizations' complementary expertise.

Contact us

To contact the Media Relations team, please e-mail your needs and deadline to media@mbayaq.org.