Mike Parker: You ‘otter’ have seen their faces at the Aquarium
Sandra and I invited Lydia and “the littles,” Laney, 9, and Luke, 6, to spend a week with us at Peppertree Resort at Atlantic Beach. Since both children are doing their schooling virtually, all we needed to school them was a decent high-speed internet connection. I had already checked Peppertree’s Wi-Fi and it was plenty fast.
From 8:30 a.m. until nearly 3 p.m. each day, the kids had Lexia, Dream Box, worksheets, and live online classes. Six-year-old Luke seems to have more work than any of my other grandchildren doing virtual studies. I guess he must have the most to learn since he is only in first grade.
The long school day and early sunset meant little time to do island exploring on this part of the Crystal Coast. I thought maybe the first-rate indoor pool at Peppertree might be the highlight of the trip. Fortunately, both kids love to swim.
The only day school ended early was on Wednesday. Both would finish about 1:30 p.m., so I planned something special – a trip to the N.C. Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. When Luke finished his last class on Wednesday, we got ready and headed to the aquarium for our 2 p.m. reservation.
COVID has impacted the aquarium just like it has affected everything else. No one is admitted without registering in advance so the aquarium staff can ensure the facility does not exceed its allowable capacity. Of course, masks are also required for admission.
Luke had been to an aquarium only once, but he was too young to recall anything about the experience. Laney was not much better. Both were excited to see the fish, turtles, otters, and other marine life.
I doubt most residents of this state realize that North Carolina has some of the top-rated aquariums in the entire nation. The Living Shipwreck is one example. At 306,000 gallons of saltwater, this largest manmade ocean habitat in North Carolina features a replica of the U-352 German submarine sunk off the coast of North Carolina in 1942.
The U-352, the first U-boat sunk by the U.S. Coast Guard, is one of three U-boats off the North Carolina coast accessible to sport divers. The U-352 wreck rests in 115 feet of water, and its debris attracts swarms of fish seeking food and shelter.
The aquarium replica habitat features many varieties of fish and sharks, and a green sea turtle. The habitat is also home to sandbar sharks, sand tiger sharks, nurse sharks, sheepshead, Atlantic spadefish, tarpon, and crevalle jack. The U-352 wreck is one of three replica wreck habitats at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores.
I took a few minutes to point out the Loggerhead Odyssey exhibit. This exhibit follows the journey of loggerhead sea turtles. I showed them the replica nest housing loggerhead turtle shells. We watched the tiny digital turtles hatch on a North Carolina beach and crawl to the ocean. The exhibit also explains how far sea turtles travel, and it details the threats these turtles face, primarily from plastic pollution.
Despite the biting chill in the air, Sandra, Lydia and the littles headed outside to walk the marsh boardwalk. Jack Frost may not have been nipping at their noses, but Old Man Bogue Inlet blew his chilly breath in their faces.
One of the most exciting exhibits features river otters. The otters dove and swam underwater time and again to the delight of my grandchildren. I sent them – the kids, not the otters – to the Measure Up! display. In this display, the kids tried to find an otter of similar height. Laney found her match in the Sea Otter. Luke stands taller than the River Otter, but is much shorter than the Giant Otter,
Two hours later, our time was up. After supper the kids wanted to head to the indoor. I have no doubts they had visions of otters diving through their heads.
Mike Parker is a columnist for Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.
