Sea Life Charlotte-Concord Aquarium is celebrating Halloween by hosting a family-friendly “Spookfest” during the weekends of Oct. 18, 25 and 31. At Sea Life’s Spookfest, guests can see David Cochran, Displays Curator at Sea Life Charlotte-Concord, and his aquarist staff carve pumpkins from inside the aquarium’s 120,000-gallon Ocean Tank at 12:30 p.m.
each weekend day. 
After the underwater pumpkin fun, they leave the pumpkins as a treat for some of the grazing fish.
During Sea Life’s Spookfest, guests can also trick-or-treat to learn more about nocturnal sea creatures found at the aquarium. Educators will be available to hand out candy and discuss facts about the interesting lives of the new Batfish, Bigeye Catalufa fish, the Green Moray eel and other “creatures of the night.”
Never heard of the Bigeye Catalufa? Us either. SEA LIFE tell us that the Bigeye Catalufa, a particularly shy fish, is usually found hiding in rock crevices at up to 200 meters deep in the ocean. Sea creatures found 200 meters to 1000 meters below the ocean surface are considered part of the mesopelagic zone where there is minimal light. Because of this, the Bigeye Catalufa has characteristics of a deep sea fish including bulbous eyes that help it see clearly in dark water as well as a projecting lower jaw used to gulp smaller fish.
Regular admission tickets during Sea Life’s Spookfest will be discounted to $14 per person when purchased online 24-hours in advance. Kids dressed in costume will receive a voucher for one complimentary child admission on a future visit. Event dates will be Oct. 18 and 19, Oct. 25 and 26 and Oct. 31 through Nov. 2. To learn more about Sea Life’s Spookfest, visit www.visitsealife.com/charlotte-concord.
