12-year-old Shaun has his hands in a water tank at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center on Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara.
He's touching a sea urchin. He says it feels "soft" and "kinda sticky" and the volunteer staff member explains that the creature is stinging but doesn't hurt our skin and just feels sticky to us.
Shaun, his two younger brothers, and his mom are visiting from San Francisco, and say the sharks feel "rough" - after getting the opportunity to touch them.
It's a unique opportunity to get hands-on with the marine life at the Center, which has - like so many businesses that have an interactive element - had a difficult past 15 months.
The Center is reopening seven days a week after going through a year where they had to close, reopen outside only, reopen on limited days and yes, that word, pivot.
"We are super hands-on," says Sea Center Director, Rich Smalldon. "While we were in the thick of COVID, we had to operate outside."
"We are easing our way back to normal," he told KCLU.
Smalldon says the ocean is a "magical place", which enthralls the young and young-at-heart alike.
"It's so different to what they see in normal life."
"The majority of our animals are local animals from the Santa Barbara Channel, " explained Smalldon.
The Sea Center on Stearns Wharf is back open 10-5, 7 days a week, throughout the summer.
