Underwater Parks festival brings boundless excitement and free admission on Jan. 21 at Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center at Stearns Wharf held its Underwater Parks Day festival on Jan. 21.

Thanks to support from the University of California at Santa Barbara's Moeller Lab, admission to the event was free.

Underwater Parks Day festival was held in unison with other aquariums and science centers in Southern California including Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach and the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium.

The festival celebrated Marine Protected Areas as "underwater parks" where the preservation of dynamic ocean life found in coastal areas can inspire future and present marine researchers.

Our own backyard of coastal Santa Barbara and the Channel Islands region are some of the most nutrient rich waters on the planet.

Although the festival is over, you can still be inspired by the rich diversity and abundance of local coastal life at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center at 211 Stearns Wharf daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Sea Center can also be reached at their website here or by phone at 805-962-2526.