A small marine education centre at the north end of King Harbor, operated by the Los Angeles Conservation Corps. The exhibits focus exclusively on the marine life of Santa Monica Bay — leopard sharks, swell sharks, garibaldi (the official state marine fish of California), bat rays, octopus, sea stars, kelp forest fish — and several touch tanks let visitors handle starfish, anemones and sea cucumbers under supervision.
The SEA Lab is small (you can see everything in under an hour) but better organised than its modest setting suggests, with knowledgeable interpreters at most tanks on weekends. The shark feedings on Saturday afternoons draw a regular crowd; arrive 15 minutes early for a spot. It is a good first introduction to local marine life for younger children before they tackle the bigger aquariums at Long Beach or Monterey.