The Living Seas at Epcot contains the world's sixth-largest ocean and the biggest facility ever dedicated to man's relationship with the underwater world.
The Living Seas was designed with the guidance of an advisory board of outstanding experts in oceanography and related fields. Its centerpiece is the world's largest saltwater aquarium tank containing all manner of undersea creatures. The main coral reef environment is 203 feet in diameter and 30 feet deep, holding 5.7 million gallons of sea water plus another million gallons in its backup system.
Within the underwater world is a complete coral reef inhabited by more than 2,000 fish representing more than 70 different species. The population includes sharks, tropical fish, rays and dolphins, all exotic and colorful forms of life that normally colonize such a reef in the Caribbean area.
Rockwork at the entrance sets the mood, simulating a natural coastline with waves cascading into tidepools. Inside, visitors pass examples of advances in technology, historical photographs and artifacts of famous undersea explorations.
During a seven-minute theater presentation, guests are introduced to the ocean's deepest mysteries and the effect on people's lives of the earth's last frontier. Theater doors then open to reveal three "hydrolators," capsule elevators which take visitors to the ocean floor.
Disembarking at Sea Base Alpha, guests explore a model undersea research facility. Large-screen video shows man's attempts to harness the ocean's resources. Visitors can then walk into a two-story central viewing area, completely surrounded by sea windows which allow them to see the divers live and up close carrying out research studies.
Certified divers can experience Epcot DiveQuest, a program for Walt Disney World guests featuring explorations inside The Living Seas environment. To learn more about dolphins and research at The Living Seas, guests can join Disney's Dolphins in Depth program. Both programs can be reserved through 407/WDW-TOUR.
The Living Seas is contained in a 185,000-square-foot structure under a single roof. The pavilion also includes the 264-seat Coral Reef Restaurant with viewing windows fifty feet long and eight feet high, giving guests still another panoramic view of the Caribbean reef as they dine.
The Living Seas Advisory Board is comprised of specialists in oceanography and allied areas and helps direct the scientific focus of the pavilion.
