Welcome!


Are the barnacles feeding? Will the hermit crab switch shells yet again? Here you'll learn about all the exciting happenings at our Marine Life Touch Tank in Portsmouth and our Blue Ocean Discovery Center in Hampton Beach, NH!

Locations and Hours:
- Blue Ocean Discovery Center, 170 Ocean Boulevard, Hampton Beach, NH (just north of the Sea Shell stage). Open 10 AM-7 PM daily until early September, and weekends in the fall and spring. Like Us on Facebook

- Marine Life Touch Tank in Portsmouth, Isles of Shoals Steamship Company dock, 315 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH. Open Tuesday-Friday, 9 AM-12 PM until late August. Like Us on Facebook
We'd love to hear your questions and comments! Hope to see you soon!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Looking for touch tank interns!

How would you like to be a part of the tank team this summer? We are currently looking for interns and volunteers at our two touch tanks - on the dock in Portsmouth and at our Sea Life Discovery Center in Salisbury, Mass. If you saw our tanks last season and met our great staff and interns, you know how much fun we had, and you probably know lots about our animals and the seacoast. We'd love to talk to you about working with us!

If you're ready to apply, please send a cover letter and resume to katherine@blueoceansociety.org. To learn more about the internship, visit http://blueoceansociety.org/Education/touch_tankintern.html. Thanks everyone!

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Visit Us at the Fairy House Tours - Sept 19-20

Join us this weekend at the Fairy House Tours in downtown Portsmouth! Our portable touch tanks will be displayed on the Gov. Langdon House lawn as part of the Fairy House tours from 12-4 on Saturday and Sunday.

From the Fairy House tours web site:

Come, enjoy a magical “one of a kind” tour! A self-guided walking tour of Fairy Houses displayed in the historic South End neighborhood of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Ticket includes entrance to Strawbery Banke, Wentworth-Gardner and Governor John Langdon houses. Ticket proceeds will again benefit non-profit organizations in the South End.

Families, gardeners, nature lovers and the 'young at heart' will be enchanted by these whimsical fairy habitats, built for the fairies to visit. Come discover the joys and magic of fairy houses inspired by children's literature and other fairy fantasies. Enjoy the tour and then build them yourselves on Peirce Island!

Visit this page for ticket information, photos and more. We hope to see you there!

Friday, September 4, 2009

We're open this weekend!

It's Labor Day weekend, and the weather forecast is calling for sun, sun and more sun - a perfect weekend to visit the touch tank! We'll be open from 10 to 2 Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Crab feeding is Saturday at 1. Come check out our biggest green crab, which molted and grew a new claw!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Our daily hours are over!

Hi everyone! It's been a great season - thanks for visiting again and again. We have finished our daily open hours; our last regular-season day was Aug. 31. We may be open weekends this month, but we haven't yet figured out whether this will be possible. Check back here - I'll keep you posted!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Notes from Hannah

Here's a letter from another of our touch tank interns, Hannah:

"Hey everybody! The touch tank has been a happening place lately! Though our rare-colored lobster is now at our Salisbury location (visit him there!) we have had a ton of fun with our many sea stars and other animals. Many people enjoy holding these wonderfully different colored animals and watching closely as their feet slowly move their bodies across your hand... it is quite an interesting feeling, as if they're tickling you slightly! There are crafts happening daily for the kids, also! A couple days ago, we had ten or more kids make different colored scallops with the paint and paper plates provided, and the staff was able to admire them before they took them home. It's different from day to day at the Portsmouth Blue Ocean touch tank. We love teaching people about the animals they encounter, as well as meeting people from many different parts of the world. There have been new creatures added and many people have been showing up consistently all summer long to see what's new! We look forward to seeing you!!"

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

A note from a dedicated intern!

Hi tank blog readers,

Here is an entry from intern Lauren, who recently finished her work with Blue Ocean Society:

"This summer season I was a volunteer at the touch tank. I learned many things about the marine life in the tank as well as marine conservation. I was honored to be able to experience such a wonderful organization that gave back to the community. It was amazing to see how many smiles came from children as well as adults. Some people who visited the tank were from out of state and had never seen these marine creatures up close, while others were locals and veterans of the tank...yet both gave great enthusiasm about the critters. The positive attitudes and curiosity made my time at the tank enjoyable and exciting. I also found there were many things I did not know, such as that a scallop has 86 eyes or that a moon snail makes its own shell out of a substance called calcium carbonate. I highly recommend anyone who has not visited our touch tank make the trip and check it out. Whether it is the unusual creatures you may find lurking in the tank or the devoted and lively staff at the tank, you will surely enjoy your visit!"

Friday, August 14, 2009

Salisbury Now Has 3 Orange Lobsters

For anyone in MA or headed that way, you might want to stop at our Sea Life Discovery Center in Salisbury Beach. Rumor has it that the center is now home to 3 orange lobsters! The center is open Tue-Fri, 10-3 and Sat-Sun, 11-4 and is located at 25 Broadway, right next to Surfside 5 and right on Salisbury Beach.