By Clyde Noel

Joe Hu/Town Crier Visitors watch a diver swim with marine life at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium was designed with families and children in mind.

Fathers and mothers push strollers from exhibit to exhibit while children observe the dazzling marine life with awe.

In a dark room, jellyfish tumble in a huge blue water tank, in front of which children sit and watch. Parents stand behind them, commenting on the creatures’ beautiful grace.

The main attraction at the aquarium these days is the white shark. The white shark was put on display Sept. 14, in the million-gallon Outer Bay exhibit.

Aquarium staff is on hand to answer questions about sharks, including the white shark’s progress.

Wearing wet suits covered with stainless steel chain mail for safety, divers feed the shark by holding out a feeding pole with mackerel and salmon on the end.

Caught in Southern California, this is the only white shark in captivity in the world. The staff observes her and learns about shark feeding patterns while she swims and glides with all kinds of smaller fish.

The Outer Bay is a window to the open sea where visitors can feel the enormity of the ocean as they look through one of the largest windows on the planet - 54 feet long and 15 feet tall.

One of the aquarium’s unique exhibits is the 28-foot-high kelp tank, where kelp fronds grow 6 inches or more a day. Artificial waves produced by a massive cylinder create natural wavelike surroundings, while the kelp forest roots itself to the artificial rocks on the tank’s floor. Numerous species of fish swim around the kelp.

Throughout the aquarium are touch pools where children can get close to fish and stroke the backs of different water creatures. The Splash Zone allows children to romp through mazes of tunnels, an activity that provides a break from looking at the huge tanks.

In the 55,000-gallon sea otter exhibit, the playful creatures swim close to the glass. Children can greet the sea otters nose to nose with only the glass separating them.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium opened in 1984 and has more than 100 galleries and exhibits that explore the habitat of Monterey Bay. The aquarium offers great opportunities for spectacular photographs. Entry to the museum comes with permission to take photos and video of the exhibits for personal use.

Aquarium hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Lunchtime visitors have the option of eating at a casual cafe, the full-service Oyster Bar or the elegant Portola Cafe. The wraparound windows provide a view of the bay, where seals and sea otters lounge among the rocks.

Take advantage of the special offer for families- $49.95 for two adults and two children, 3-17.The coupon is available on the aquarium’s Web site, www.montereybayaquarium.org.