Explore the Inner Workings
Hatfield Marine Science Center is a vast campus. It takes many pieces and players to make it a world-class facility for research and learning. During Marine Science Day, we offer behind-the-scenes tours.
TICKETS: Tickets for all tours are available in the courtyard area. The tours are free and available on a first-come, first-served basis. We want to give as many people as possible a chance to participate in one of our tours, so please only sign up for one tour.
WHAT TO WEAR: These are walking tours, often over uneven ground, and take place mostly outside. These are rain or shine tours so dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes.
TIME: Most of the tours take approximately one hour.
Tours At-A-Glance Schedule
| TIME | EVENTS & TOURS |
|---|---|
| 10:30 a.m. |
Seawater Systems Tour (1 hr.) Yaquina Estuary Trail Tour (1 hr.) |
| 11 a.m. |
Vertical Tsunami Evacuation Area Tour (45 min.) Coastal Monitoring Station Tour (1 hr.) |
| 11:30 a.m. |
Marine Operations Tour (1 hr.) Aquaculture (1 hr.) |
| 12 p.m. |
Seawater Systems Tour (1 hr.) Yaquina Estuary Trail Tour (1 hr.) |
| 1 p.m. |
Vertical Tsunami Evacuation Area Tour (45 min.) Aquaculture (1 hr.) |
| 1:30 p.m. |
Yaquina Estuary Trail Tour (1 hr.) Seawater Tour (1 hr.) Marine Operations Tour (1 hr.) |
| 2:15 p.m. |
Coastal Monitoring Station Tour (1 hr.) Yaquina Estuary Trail Tour (1 hr.) |
Walk along the Yaquina Bay Estuary Trail with a guide and learn about the unique flora and fauna of the area and the areas history.
Take a peek inside the Coastal Monitoring Station and learn how real time data about the Yaquina Bay supports local fisheries and our community.
Tour Details
Seawater Tour | 10:30 a.m., noon & 1:30 p.m. | 1 hr., 15 people per tour
Explore the inner workings of Hatfield's sophisticated seawater distribution system, which provides reliable access to the high-quality seawater needed for a variety of experiments and research. This walking tour will take you into the pump house, show you the filtration system, and the innovative chlorine generator in the effluent treatment center. Pumping a million gallons of seawater a day to all the research labs on the Hatfield campus, this seawater system is a key piece of the research infrastructure at the Hatfield Marine Science Center.
Yaquina Estuary Tour | 10:30 a.m., noon, 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m.| 1 hr., 20 people per tour
Take a one-mile walk along our local nature trail, which runs along the bay side of the Hatfield campus and ends near the Oregon Coast Aquarium. On this tour, you will learn about the creatures that live in the salt marshes and mudflats that make up this extraordinary estuarine habitat. This tour is led by Oregon Sea Grant volunteers.
Tsunami Vertical Evacuation Tour | 11 a.m. & 1 p.m. | 45 min., 20 people per tour
The Gladys Valley Marine Studies Building at Hatfield was built using state-of-the-art architectural and engineering techniques, making it the first universally accessible vertical tsunami evacuation site in the United States. Ride the emergency elevator or walk the access ramp to high ground on the roof and explore the disaster cache that will take care of people for up to two days after a tsunami. This building improves the safety of those who study, work and play at Hatfield and the surrounding South Beach community. This tour is led by a Oregon Sea Grant Coastal Hazards Specialist.
Coastal Monitoring Station Tour | 11 a.m. & 2:15 p.m. | 1 hr., 15 people per tour
This half mile long tour will take you our to the Coastal Monitoring Station situated on the Hatfield pump house and dock. During this tour you will learn about the water quality instruments we use to monitor the health of the estuary, and view the data in real time as it arrives from the instruments. Explore how parameters like temperature, salinity, pH and oxygen change as the estuary "breathes" with tidal, daily and seasonal cycles.
Aquaculture Tour | 11:30 a.m. & 1:00 p.m. | 1 hr., 15 people per tour
Take a peek behind the scenes with researchers from the USDA ARS Shellfish Research Unit. This in-depth tour of the Hatfield aquaculture facility will showcase the different types of infrastructure in this lab including the water filtration system, the algal production room, and a variety experimental setups this facility houses to support the health and growth of shellfish.
Marine Operations Tour | 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. | 1 hr., 15 people per tour
Take a walking tour to the home of the Marine Operations team and tour the R/V Elakha and the R/V Pacific Storm. This tour also includes a demonstration of how drones (weather dependent) and marine technology assist with marine research. Safety Notice: On this tour participants are required to wear closed-toe shoes. The tour is also limited to people aged 10 and older, and children must be accompanied by a guardian. Participants must be able to walk independently on a moving dock, navigate uneven surfaces, and board vessels safely.
Video Tours on our YouTube Channel
If you miss a tour or want to dive deeper into the inner workings of Hatfield, click on a topic below and take a virtual tour.
