General admission is required on top of your booking. General admission must be purchased for the same day as your selected Tropics Behind The Scenes tour for all guests in your group who are not Vancouver Aquarium members. If you arrive to your tour without general admission tickets, you will be asked to purchase them at Admissions before entering the aquarium.

• Behind The Scenes tours start at 10:30 AM sharp. Please plan to arrive 5-10 minutes early. One of our Interpreters will meet you at the Animal Encounter sign next to our Guest Services desk, located near the Aquarium entrance.
• Behind The Scenes tours are approximately 60 minutes from start to finish, but you are welcome to explore the other wonders of the aquarium before or after your experience!

Secure storage is available for personal items like coats and bags, though we recommend leaving valuables at home. Vancouver Aquarium is not held responsible for any lost items.

Filming of any kind is strictly prohibited behind-the-scenes where our Marine Mammal Team is hard at work, but you’re welcome to take photos and videos during your Behind the Scenes tour!

• This experience takes you into staff-only areas of our Tropics Gallery, including active animal care spaces. Dress comfortably and in layers—temperatures can range from warm and humid to cool, depending on the area.
• Closed-toe shoes with good grip are required for all participants. Some surfaces may be damp or uneven, so please avoid sandals or heels. You’ll be stepping into real working spaces—just like our aquarists do.

This program will be in close proximity to our Tropics residents, and at times this may be without a barrier. Younger guests may be required to wear a PFD. You may have the opportunity to get up close to a blacktip reef shark or pig-nosed turtle, but we cannot guarantee it. Just like humans, the animals have their own unique personalities and sometimes, they simply might not feel like participating. We do our best to mentally enrich and positively reinforce our rescues to display certain behaviors and participate in the program but will never make them do anything they don’t want to.

• Important: At the Vancouver Aquarium, respect is like a current that flows both ways during every Behind The Scenes tour. We kindly request that all participants treat our dedicated staff and incredible animals with the utmost respect and consideration. For the safety of our valued guests, staff, and animals, the minimum age to participate in a Tropics Behind The Scenes tour is 8 and up. Your party will be asked to present valid government-issued I.D. upon arrival. Vancouver Aquarium reserves the right to deny entry to guests in violation of our code of conduct or age requirement. No refunds or requests to reschedule will be accommodated.
• Please note your scheduled Behind The Scenes tour may be cancelled at any time, should it be deemed necessary to prioritize the health and wellbeing of the animals. In such an event, we will promptly arrange for your experience to be rescheduled for a later date. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in prioritizing animal welfare.

Please be aware that our new Behind the Scenes Tour may pose physical challenges for some guests. Currently, the experience involves navigating stairs, traversing uneven surfaces, as well as periods of crouching, kneeling, and standing for extended periods (1+ hours).

Regrettably, we are unable to accommodate walkers or wheelchairs at this time. However, we're committed to exploring innovative solutions to enhance accessibility for all guests. For more information, please visit our Accessibility page.

For all Behind the Scenes Tours that are cancelled with more than 48-hour notice, we will provide a 50% refund. No refunds will be offered if the guest(s) cancel within 48 hours of or do not show up for the experience. Subject to availability, we will charge a $100 change fee to rebook for another date and/or time.