Birch Aquarium Opens Meditation Ocean: Aquarius Reef Base
Birch Aquarium at Scripps just opened Meditation Ocean: Aquarius Reef Base, and if you’ve been looking for something that blends art, science, and actual meditation practice in an unexpected way, this is worth checking out.
The multi-sensory installation reimagines the historic Aquarius Reef Base – the world’s only undersea research habitat – as a meditation space inspired by life beneath the ocean. It’s not just looking at exhibits; you’re stepping into a recreation of how aquanauts actually lived and worked underwater.
What You’re Actually Experiencing
The exhibition was created by artist Hope Ginsburg and the Meditation Ocean Constellation, a collaborative group of artists, writers, educators, meditators, musicians, curators, divers, and scientists.
You walk through a portal into the underwater research station and experience life as the aquanauts did. There are projections filmed at the original platform, simulated underwater spaces, and a recreation of aquanauts’ living quarters, all accompanied by ambient reef sounds.
Megan Dickerson, Director of Exhibits at Birch Aquarium, frames it well:
“Aquarius Reef Base stands on the shoulders of audacious experiments like the Navy’s SEALAB and Jacques Cousteau’s Conshelf, when humans first tested the idea of living for days or weeks beneath the surface of the ocean.”
“Today, as our ocean and our world face unprecedented change, Meditation Ocean: Aquarius Reef Base invites us to return to that boldness, this time to cultivate resilience, presence and a deeper connection to the changing life around us.”
The Meditation Component
“Meditation Reels from M.O. Turtlegrass Meadow” is a three-channel video installation shot over four days in Biscayne National Park in the Florida Keys. It captures eight meditating scuba divers as they “breathe with” ocean wildlife, rising from the seabed to float in meditation.
Prerecorded scripts let you join the divers in meditative practice right there in the installation.
This isn’t passive observation – you’re invited to actually meditate along with what you’re watching, which shifts the experience from educational to participatory. The playful design and ambient sounds create an environment where reflection feels natural rather than forced.
Replaces Embodied Pacific
Meditation Ocean: Aquarius Reef Base replaces Embodied Pacific: Ocean Unseen, which opened in October 2024 as part of the Getty initiative PST ART. The exhibition is included with general admission, so you’re getting it along with everything else the aquarium offers.
Best pricing comes from buying tickets online in advance, or you can get an annual membership if you plan to visit multiple times throughout the year.
See you there!
Head to Birch Aquarium, step into the recreated Aquarius Reef Base, and experience what it’s like to meditate alongside ocean life in an undersea research habitat.
📆 Now open
📍 2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla
ℹ️ More info here
See you there, San Diego!
