The Show

From one point of view, the Open Ocean exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium might look like a tank full of fish, but from another viewpoint it looks like this:

It was noticeable, just from the behavior of the fish, something was about to happen. I felt like I was standing at the top of the lawn at Shoreline Amphitheatre, watching the crowd as they waited for a show to begin. The Mahi Mahi turned a brilliant sunset gold, like the pretty high school girls who look good even when they aren’t dressed up but, who layer on the sparkly make-up and don their highest heels for a special occasion. They zoomed along, cutting the surface of the water just as the high school girls would cut through the pit to the front of the crowd, because no one minds a pretty young girl bumpin’ up against them. The two Hammerhead Sharks were swimming ovals around the back of the tank just as the hot high school guys would walk along the back of the pit, wanting to follow the girls, but knowing it wouldn’t be as easy for them to make it through the crowd.

The rays were lying on the bottom of the tank just like the slightly older girls at the concert who have less to prove than the high schoolers and would rather lay out a blanket on the lawn than be jarred around and have beer spilled on them in the pit. Similarly, the White Tipped Shark was swimming close to the bottom of the tank like the slightly older guys who have been to many shows before and know it isn’t worth it to push your way to the front, because you get a better view if you stay up near the seats anyway.

The bait ball reminded me of the kids up on the lawn who do not really understand what is going on but who feel the growing excitement and can’t help but run around and around and around . . . The Mola Mola was all over the tank, disappearing and then reappearing on the opposite side, kind of like the bizarre hippy lady who wanders around the amphitheater and seems completely harmless, but who you prefer to stay away from regardless. The Tuna were the security guards, big and in charge and not afraid to jump into the fray.