The Ocean Gallery allows visitors, without putting on dive gear, to see the varied habitats found in the ocean off the coast of South Carolina. The centerpiece of this gallery is the massive, two-story Great Ocean Tank which holds 385,000 gallons of salt water and contains hundreds of animals, including sharks, pufferfish and a loggerhead sea turtle that weighs over 200 pounds. Other exhibits display jellyfish, the colorful animals found around reef habitats and live baby sharks developing within their egg cases.

The Great Ocean Tank depicts deeper water reefs much like those found in the Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary located southeast of Charleston. These large reef habitats support a tremendous variety of fish, invertebrates, sea turtles and marine mammals. Gray’s Reef is the calving ground for the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale. For more information, visit graysreef.noaa.gov

Exhibit Fun Facts

Featured Animal: Sand tiger shark
Fact: Sand tiger sharks exhibit “survival of the fittest” inside the womb. The shark pups will eat each other while still inside their mother.
Location: The Great Ocean Tank

Featured Animal: Bigeye fish
Fact: Because the red side of the spectrum does not penetrate very deeply in water, the bright orange coloration of a bigeye fish is actually a form of camouflage.
Location: The Muddy Ooze

Featured Animal: Moon jellies
Fact: Because a moon jelly does not have a brain, their stinging cells act on a trigger, so as long as they are wet, they can sting you even when they are dead.
Location: Jellyfish Exhibit

Featured Animal: Surgeonfish
Fact: Surgeonfish have their name because of a spine at the base of their tail that is as sharp as a scalpel and is used to protect themselves from predators.
Location: Rocky Reef Exhibit