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 27 feet deep, holding 5.6 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 4,000 sea creatures, including 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. Early inventors and visionaries who laid the foundation for modern ocean exploration are introduced in an optional two-minute multi-media pre show.

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.

The vicarious explorers then board open vehicles for a three-minute voyage through tunnels past the entire coral reef seen through six-inch thick crystal-clear windows.

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.

Type - exhibit

When to go - Visit early morning or from mid-afternoon onwards.

Duration - 3 mins film, 3 mins ride, stay in the exhibit as long as you wish

Restrictions
Guests may remain in wheelchairs or ECVs to experience the attraction.

Facts/History
The water in the Living Seas is 27ft deep.
The diameter of the tank is 203 ft and it contains 5.7 million gallons of salt water.
The temperature is kep at around 74-78 degrees Fahrenheit.
The acrylic windows in the second-level observation deck of Living Seas measure 8 feet by 24 feet, weigh 9,000 pounds each, and range in thickness from six to eight inches.
The coral isn't real, as it's illegal to remove coral from the ocean. Disney has a permit to visit Florida Keys once a year and remove a certain number of fish to bring back to the Living Seas.
There are 8,500 inhabitants in the Living Seas, with over 100 different species.
The hydrolators don't move a single inch.
If you look at the ceiling in the Living Seas observation area, you'll see numbers and letters forming a 'code', they are the initials and birthdates of the people who worked on the attraction.

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