Pacific Undersea Gardens, Public aquarium in Inner Harbour, Victoria, Canada

The Pacific Undersea Gardens was a 150-foot vessel towed from Oak Bay Marina to Victoria's Inner Harbour, where visitors descended 15 feet below the surface to view marine life through windows lining the hull. At the vessel's end, the Undersea Theatre seated visitors for a 20-minute show featuring a diver who handled crabs, sea urchins, sea stars, sea anemones, cabezon and lingcod, with wolf eels and a Giant Pacific Octopus named Armstrong as the main attractions.

Biologist Charles White founded the Pacific Undersea Gardens in 1964, initially operating from Oak Bay Marina before moving to a more central location in Victoria. The relocation made the facility more accessible to visitors and expanded its reach.

The Undersea Theatre show ran 20 minutes, with a guide narrating and a diver in a full-face communication mask handling crabs, sea urchins, sea stars, anemones, cabezon and lingcod. Its two stars were wolf eels and a Giant Pacific Octopus named Armstrong. Each year the Gardens and volunteers, including the Pacific Navy Fleet Diving Unit and Coast Guard Auxiliary 35 Unit, cleaned Victoria's Inner Harbour, once hauling out about 45 kg of garbage.

Visitors should expect to spend about 45 to 60 minutes exploring the facility and watching the presentations. Visibility through the windows can vary depending on water conditions and lighting, so timing your visit during daytime hours works best.

The site was known for its large tank displaying Pacific salmon in their natural swimming patterns for visitors to observe. This exhibition helped people understand the importance of this species to the local environment.