August 29, 2024

Enhancing the visitor experience at Point Defiance's Tropical Reef Aquarium

Anderson

The Tropical Reef Aquarium at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium reopened to the public in June 2024 following 2-1/2 years of restorations and repairs. The $7.09 million renovation project, which included structural and system repairs to the Outer Reef shark tank, provided the opportunity for new exhibit features and an enhanced visitor experience.

The original 15,000-square-foot aquarium exhibit, previously known as the South Pacific Aquarium, was built in 1989. For the restoration project, MLA Engineering performed a structural evaluation and defined the scope of repairs needed for the concrete tank. Schemata Workshop led the design and engineering efforts, which included essential roof repairs, reparation of concrete cracks and spalling, and improved walkways and interior spaces used by aquarists to feed and care for sharks and other animals. Other upgrades included a new heat pump, ventilator, industrial dehumidifier, electrical updates and improvements to life support systems for the animals. The project updates allowed the opportunity to refresh the aged exhibit elements, including new coral reefs, rockery and plants.

Photos courtesy of Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium [enlarge]

The Tropical Shallows hands-on experience welcomes guests to the aquarium.

The original design concept for the aquarium remains core to the visitor experience, guiding visitors from a tropical beach, through the coral reefs and beyond to the deep ocean. “When our guests step inside, they will be transported to a colorful, tropical coral reef environment, complete with a beach, lagoon and outer reef habitats,” said Alan Varsik, director of Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, a facility of Metro Parks Tacoma.

The revitalized Tropical Shallows habitat, with a hands-on, up-close marine animal experience in the shallow waters exhibit, is now surrounded by new artificial mangrove trees to simulate a silty mud bank. Guests are encouraged to touch invertebrates like tropical sea stars, crabs, urchins, snails and shrimp. The space is now brightened by a new overhead translucent skylight and custom artwork.

Continuing through the aquarium, guests step down into the edges of a coral reef and come eye-to-eye with colorful fish and corals at the Lagoon tank. Further on, guests experience the Blue Hole, representing the deep caverns of a reef with all-new vibrant coral and rockery. The portal view through this tank offers a glimpse of what is to come at the large tank beyond.

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Beyond the reef, visitors encounter the Outer Reef shark viewing area.

The final Outer Reef tank transports visitors to the deep ocean. The tank mimics the sandy ocean drop-off of a natural reef, where many shark species (including blacktip reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, gray reef sharks, nurse sharks, zebra sharks, and tasseled wobbegong) swim amongst schools of colorful tropical fish, stingrays, and a very charismatic potato grouper named Tater.

One of the main design changes at the Outer Reef tank is the popular Eye-to-Eye Shark Dive. In the past, more than 22,000 people learned about shark conservation efforts at guest experience. The original design utilized a traditional style shark cage that was dropped into the tank. However, the cage hindered the sharks' swimming patterns by creating abrupt edges and dead-end space in the tank. The new experience includes a caged area, partially concealed with coral and rockery exhibits, designed into a corner - with no abrupt edges. This new, integrated design better mirrors an open ocean experience and increases the comfort factor for both sharks and humans.

Another exhibit featuring live coral is set to open Spring 2025. The aquarium has been raising live coral for several years but hasn't had a place to display them for guests. A significant renovation, cutting through a 10-inch concrete wall and expanding the aquarium by enclosing an outer deck area, will provide space for this purpose. This new exhibit will include a wall with three new tanks and interactive monitors.

“Restoring this well-loved aquarium also provides an opportunity to connect the stories of these aquatic animals and their wild homes with our community for years to come,” Varsik said.

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is the Northwest's only combined zoo and aquarium. In addition to the Tropical Reef Aquarium, there is a Pacific Seas Aquarium with hammerhead sharks, green sea turtles, eagle rays and the popular Tidal Touch Zone. The zoo is a leader in marine-focused conservation work, with staff and volunteers participating in various projects to protect marine species. From monitoring local kelp forests and rockfish populations in Puget Sound, to participating in research that benefits hammerhead sharks in the coral reefs of Hawaii, staff are working to care for aquatic habitats.

The 29-acre Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is also home to more than 400 marine and land species, many of which are threatened and endangered, including walruses, polar bears, sea otters, Sumatran tigers, Malayan tapirs and clouded leopards.

Geoff E. Anderson is a principal at Schemata Workshop and was project manager on the PDZA's Tropical Reef Aquarium renovation project.

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