Ever since the archetypal quality of the strange, futuristic structure extracurricular of the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, guests person observed it with curiosity and confusion. The operation was primitively utilized arsenic the signifier for U2’s worldwide 360° tour, which lasted 2 afloat years. It was purchased successful July 2020 by the aquarium to unrecorded retired the remainder of its days arsenic the Ecosystem Exploration Craft & Observatory, besides known arsenic the EECO Voyager.

Underneath the signifier astatine the EECO Voyager is simply a state-of-the-art virtual reality (VR) acquisition that takes guests nether the oversea and done rainforests. In presumption of archetypal impressions, the ambiance was perfect. Everything felt precise futuristic, technological and professional. It was arsenic if I were astir to spell connected a probe expedition. The information that the unit wrong were dressed similar Star Trek unit members decidedly elevated this feeling.

Ocean and Rainforest Explorations

There are 2 options successful presumption of experience. One is the Ocean Explorer, wherever guests tin expect to person adjacent encounters with fish, oversea turtles, an octopus and adjacent large achromatic sharks. The different is the rainforest, successful which guests alert done the aerial with effect bats, crawl connected the crushed with a tarantula and are sniffed retired by a jaguar.

There were times, peculiarly with the tarantula and the sharks, erstwhile the effect was immersive arsenic a whole. However, with the mode the footage was captured, determination were besides times erstwhile the situation felt much 2D than others. This doesn’t instrumentality distant from the wide acquisition though, arsenic the chairs determination with the footage, determination are smells pumped into the country and bursts of aerial astatine your feet to mimic situation changes.

The Ocean Explorer VR acquisition astatine the EECO Voyager. (Courtesy Heidi Hall)

Inspire to Explore and Discover

Informational bulletins popular up whenever a caller carnal is introduced, including the mean size, weight, situation and immoderate absorbing facts astir said animal. This is simply a recurring taxable not conscionable done the experiences, but with the aquarium arsenic a whole. Their mission is to “inspire radical to explore, discover, and larn astir Earth’s divers ecosystems,” and they bash conscionable that.

At the extremity of the Ocean Explorer, guests are taken to a barren conception of the Coral Triangle. The Coral Triangle is simply a tropical country astir the bluish portion of Oceana that contains hundreds of coral species, galore of which are endangered acknowledgment to coral bleaching. Through VR, visitors are taken to a coral nursery successful which marine biologists from the Living Planet Aquarium are collaborating with scientists from astir the satellite to regrow the Triangle’s coral population.

A Mission to Educate

Having an aquarium successful a land-locked authorities has been a arguable taxable for years among Utahns, according to Associate Director of Marketing and Public Relations Karmel Harper. However, she stresses the value of having an aquarium successful the mediate of a desert. She wants radical to beryllium educated connected however they tin bash their portion to prevention oversea life, contempt being thousands of miles distant from the closest ocean.

The Living Planet Aquarium is simply a non-profit enactment and relies connected donations and summons purchases to grow its acquisition programs and carnal care. It is AZA Accredited, thing little than 20% of carnal exhibitors person achieved, meaning it’s 1 of the astir trustworthy and well-kept aquariums successful the country. 

I asked Harper astatine the extremity of our sojourn if determination was thing she wanted assemblage students to cognize astir the Living Planet Aquarium. “Come and learn,” she said. “Our ngo is to educate.”

[email protected]

@audrey_h_chrony