Ocean Wise has launched its first mobile tour of 2026, and is bringing ocean and climate change education to Vancouver Island communities through a one-of-a-kind, immersive oceanic adventure.
The pop-up exhibit will be going from Tofino to Victoria beginning this weekend and welcomes nature lovers of all-ages to learn about ocean conservation, climate change and the fascinating creatures that call the ocean home.
According to Breanne Keil, one of the Ocean Wise education coordinators on this island-spanning journey, the show-stopper of this tour is the Ocean Wise Sea Dome—a massive planetarium-style dome projecting 360-degree, 4K cinematic footage of the ocean.
“Instead of exploring the stars and galaxies, we take you beneath the waves to experience what it’s like to live in the ocean,” Keil told Victoria Buzz.
“Visitors can expect to see incredible footage of curious Steller sea lions, thousands of schooling yellow fin tuna, majestic swimming nudibranchs and more”
She added that expert educators will narrate this innovative experience in real time, sharing their knowledge and sparking conversation about conservation throughout.
“It’s truly a once-of-a-kind adventure that helps people from all walks of life get to experience the wonders of the ocean.”
After stepping into the dome, visitors will be able to get up close and personal with the wide array of ocean artifacts that educators will have on-hand like bull shark teeth, sea otter fur, green sea turtle shells and more.
Keil says the goal of this endeavour is to connect as many people as possible to the ocean through unique learning opportunities.
“At Ocean Wise our mission is to build communities that take meaningful action to protect and restore our ocean through promoting conservation choices and increasing ocean literacy,” she explained.
“We hope that participants walk away feeling a deep sense of wonder and love for the ocean, as we humans need the ocean, but the ocean also really needs us right now.”
So far, the mobile team has been visiting schools on the island before bringing the exhibit to public spaces.
Keil says that the highlights thus far have been endless.
“Students have gone out of their way to stay through their recess and afterschool so that they could continue their learning and ask more questions of how they can get involved in our work and where they can keep learning,” she said.
“Our team also got the opportunity to see three orcas on their ferry from Vancouver to Nanaimo on the first day of their trip, which was the warmest welcome to the island that they could hope for!”
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To check out the Ocean Wise Sea Dome and other features of this exhibit, see the Vancouver Island tour schedule below:
March 14th – Vancouver Island Regional Libraries
- 10 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. — Vancouver Island Regional Library – Parksville
100 Jensen Avenue E, Parksville - 1 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. — Vancouver Island Regional Library – Nanaimo North
6250 Hammond Bay Road, Nanaimo - 4 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. — Vancouver Island Regional Library – Nanaimo Harbourfront
90 Commercial Street, Nanaimo
March 17th — Tofino Maritime Kids Day
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. — Tofino Community Hall — 351 Arnet Road, Tofino
March 19th — Ucluelet Maritime Kids Day
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. — Ucluelet Community Hall — 500 Matterson Drive, Ucluelet
March 20th — Wild Tides Community Event
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. — The KCC — 4090 Hollywood Street, Port Alberni
March 22th — Mayfair Shopping Centre
- 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. — 3147 Douglas Street , Victoria
Ocean Wise is a globally focused conservation organization aiming to restore and protect ocean ecosystems.
Through their work, the organization’s goal is to tackle three major ocean challenges, which are ocean pollution, overfishing and climate change.
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