The Sunshine Coast is home to more than 50,000 people, and infinitely more wildlife. From mountaintop to seafloor, creatures big and small call this place home.
At the TidePools Aquarium (located in the Gibsons Public Market), you can meet some of the incredible marine life that exists in Átl'ka7tsem/Howe Sound, a UNESCO Biosphere Region that sustains thousands of species and ecosystems, including rare glass sponge reefs. We chatted with TidePools' staff, including Emma White, Senior Aquarist, and Christina Wilson, Curator and Programs Manager, to ask them all about their favourite "locals" and what makes them so unique.
If visitors remember only five "locals" from their visit, who should it be and why?
Sunflower Star (Pycnopodia helianthoides): The Marine Species Most Likely to Win a Star Race
This fast-moving, bottom-dwelling species can grow 20 arms and move up to 1 metre per second—making it the species most likely to win an ocean-floor star race. Pycnopodia likes to snack on sea urchins, which is vital to their role in keeping underwater kelp forests healthy. Over the last decade, a sea star wasting disease has endangered local populations from Alaska to Mexico. In Canada, it was assessed as Endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) in May 2025 and is being considered for official protection under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA).
Right now you'll find two sunflower stars at the aquarium where you can witness their fast-moving speed in action.
Decorator crab (Oregonia gracilis): The Marine Species Most Likely to Win an Oscar for Best Costume Design
Decorator crabs camouflage themselves with tiny pieces of seaweed, algae, or even animals like anemones and sponges. They do this by using setae—velcro-like bristles—on their upper shell to hook their selected pieces onto themselves. They're most often found hiding out in the intertidal zone, where their unique camouflage helps them hide from predators like halibut, sea otters, and octopus.
Buffalo sculpin (Enophrys bison): The Marine Species Most Likely to Win an Eating Contest
This ray-finned fish is easily mistaken for the rocky habitat in which they thrive, thanks to their unique ability to blend in with its surroundings. Their name comes from the bison horn-like spines on their heads, but it's their mouth that is perhaps their most intriguing feature, extending to the middle of their eye and allowing them to gulp down large amounts of shrimp, small crabs, and other fish (the largest appetite of any aquarium animal!).
Plumose anemone (Metridium senile): The Marine Species Most Likely to Live Forever
Otherwise known as the fluffy or frilled anemone, these sea creatures have feathery, cloud-like tentacles attached to a polyp, and grow on docks, pilings, and rocks in coastal waters. Some scientists believe they live forever, reproducing asexually so offspring are genetically identical.
Green Urchins (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis): The Marine Species with the Fanciest Hats
Like some other marine species on this list, the green urchin adorns itself with shells or rocks to camouflage it from predators and protect against sunlight and strong currents. Think of these as fancy hats, serving a key survival purpose, and to us humans—style!
Reminder: At Tidepools, the "locals" are constantly revolving. Some locals mentioned here may have already been returned to their home by the time you visit in person. And, while it's fun to describe marine species in this way, we don't often anthropomorphize animals—they cannot speak verbally, so we only characterize their observed behaviours! To us, green urchins may be the species with the fanciest hats, but to you they may appear as something entirely different. You'll have to discover them for yourself!
Who's your favourite "local"? What makes them special to you?
Emma, Senior Aquarist for Tidepools Aquarium:
Sea pen, otherwise known as the marine species most likely to glow under pressure! Sea pens are one of the most fascinating creatures on our coast. They look like a single elegant coral, but they’re actually a colony made up of hundreds of specialized individuals called zooids, each with its own role—feeding, cleaning, or circulating water. When disturbed, sea pens produce a soft bioluminescent glow that lights up the surrounding sand.
Christina, Curator and Programs Manager for Tidepools Aquarium:
The Acorn barnacle, aka the marine species most likely to eat with their feet! Acorn barnacles start off as free-swimming larvae. When they are ready to settle in place, they adhere to substrate (rocks, pilings, or ships) using cement glands that are at the base of their first pair of antennae. You could say this is their forehead and that they stand on their heads and move food into their mouths with their feet!
Can you share one surprising or little-known fact about the marine life on our coast?
Our coast has such an incredible diversity of life, from small to big animals, and we’re always learning new facts to share with our visitors. Did you know that a male crab will hold on to a female crab until she molts, then he passes her a sperm package that she can keep for up to a year before fertilizing her eggs? The egg development is influenced by temperature, which means it takes the eggs much longer to develop in our aquarium system than in the ocean (our system is kept slightly below average ocean temperatures). Make sure you follow our social media for more cool facts!
What’s one thing you wish more people understood about the ecosystems of Howe Sound?
Howe Sound might not have the warm, clear waters of tropical reefs, but it’s bursting with life. Our waters are rich in plankton—that’s what makes them murky—but those tiny organisms form the base of an incredibly productive food web. Once you get below the surface, it’s teeming with colour and activity. Balance is key, though: everything here depends on clean water and healthy habitats, and taking care of our oceans ensures these creatures are here for future generations.
How do your exhibits help people connect with the marine environment right outside their door?
Showcasing several different habitats helps people understand the importance of the respective ecosystems found here, especially those habitats that are deeper and are not easily seen without diving. Our regular visitors have formed personal connections to each animal, and children often name our animals and learn about their behaviours.
What does an average month look like at the aquarium?
In an average month we will feed 12 times, make 24 plankton soups, siphon 28 tanks, magnet the glass on each tank three times, clean 136 lids, clean the protein skimmer four times, change the filters twice, visit the beach at least once, host one private event and one children's group, open to the public for 72 hours, and make three new discoveries. Phew!
Some months are busier than others, but this is the general flow—yet it never loses its magic. We get to work alongside amazing marine life every day. From anemones budding and crabs tending their eggs to rainy-day dives and rock collections, there’s always something new, unexpected, and wonderful happening at TidePools Aquarium.
What makes Tidepools different from other aquariums along the Coast?
TidePools Aquarium is a small, community-focused collect-and-release aquarium which features one of the few closed water systems in the Pacific Northwest. We have an incredible, passionate team that loves sharing all about marine life and helping visitors connect with the hidden wonders of the Sunshine Coast.
What’s something new or unexpected that visitors should look out for on their next visit to Tidepools?
Our staff are constantly making new discoveries, so it’s always worth asking what’s new when you arrive. Since our systems are tied directly to the seasonality of the ocean and tides, things quiet down a bit in winter just like the sea itself. We’re also preparing to welcome a few new temporary visitors who will stay with us until our annual release in March. That said, we can’t make any promises, we don’t place orders with the ocean! Part of the fun of TidePools is that nature decides who comes to visit next.
Thank you to the staff at Tidepools for kindly answering our questions, and nominating their favourite "local." You can learn more about TidePools and the incredible work they do here.
