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Outer Reef

Swim Into the depths

Sharks may look ferocious – but you’re more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a shark.

The South Pacific Aquarium is temporarily closed for restoration and repair of critical animal-care structures, habitats and life-support systems. Our goal is to extend the life of this aging, saltwater aquarium for another two decades and care for ocean animals into the future. Read more here. 

Discover the Reef

Shark Feed
It's a Frenzy.
Watch the frenzy – and careful choreography – as our massive sharks get fed! Tues. and Fri. mornings, unscheduled to prevent congestion.
Find it
at the Zoo.
Our 240,000-gallon Outer Reef habitat mimics the real-life edge of a reef, where shallow protected waters meet the open ocean. Find it deep inside the South Pacific Aquarium, to the right of the central grassy lawn.

Meet our sharks

Nurse Shark
Sandbar shark
Blacktip reef shark
Zebra shark

Protecting Sharks

Stop the finning.

THE THREAT: Sharks are beautiful creatures who keep our oceans in balance. But every year, millions fall victim to the horrific practice of finning, where a shark’s fins are cut off for human use and the shark thrown back into the ocean to die.

HOW TO HELP: Tell your friends how awesome sharks are. Never buy shark fin soup, pills or shark souvenirs. Use the Seafood Watch app to support sustainable fishing, and tell your representatives in Congress that you want shark protection laws.

Aquarium Stories

The Health of Puget Sound

Checking in on Puget Sound’s Health How healthy is Puget Sound? What areas are showing declines, and which are holding steady? Those are the questions divers at Point Defiance Zoo … Continued

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Saving Puget Sound’s Underwater Forests

An underwater crisis is happening, and there isn’t one apparent reason. Since the 1870s, South Puget Sound’s shorelines have lost about two-thirds of their bull kelp forests, according to a … Continued

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Leopard Eel Receives a CT Scan

Larry Gordon, a 30-year-old leopard eel, recently traveled from his home at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium to Summit Veterinary Hospital to receive a CT scan. In April, Zoo Associate … Continued

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Blue Lagoon
Meet Day-Glo tropical fish, a shy moral eel and more in our Lagoon habitat.