Sant Ocean Hall

The Sant Ocean Hall is the National Museum of Natural History's largest exhibit, providing visitors with a unique and breathtaking introduction to the majesty of the ocean
The Sant Ocean Hall is the National Museum of Natural History's largest exhibit, providing visitors with a unique and breathtaking introduction to the majesty of the ocean(Flickr User M.V. Jantzen)

A Look Inside the Sant Ocean Hall

The Sant Ocean Hall is the National Museum of Natural History's largest exhibit, providing visitors with a unique and breathtaking introduction to the majesty of the ocean. The hall's combination of 674 marine specimens and models, high-definition video, and the newest technology allows visitors to explore the ocean's past, present, and future.

If you are coming to Washington, D.C., start planning your visit now to the National Museum of Natural History and Sant Ocean Hall.

HOURS: Open daily except December 25, 10:00 AM - 5:30 PM. For extended Museum hours, visit the National Museum of Natural History website.

FREE ADMISSION: Admission is free to the museum and programs, except where noted.

LOCATION: For the Museum's location, visit the National Museum of Natural History website.

Visitors entering the 23,000-square-foot exhibition will see a precise replica of a 45-foot-long North Atlantic Right Whale, named Phoenix, who has been tracked by scientists since her birth in 1987, and a giant squid — so rarely seen that a living squid was not caught on camera until 2004. A unique underwater experience is created by "Ocean Odyssey," a high-definition film by renowned underwater cinematographer Feodor Pitcairn, which wraps the walls above the exhibit space. And, like the real ocean, the deeper visitors explore the more they will discover — from the sunlit surface to the dark, pitch-black ocean depths, from the smallest microorganism to the biggest animals ever known—featuring items from the museum's marine collections.

There is also an ever-changing exhibit space in the back of the hall. Currently featured is the "Life in One Cubic Foot" exhibit, an interactive exhibit that explores what we can discover in just a cubic foot of Earth. You can witness the ocean’s constant motion and interaction with land and the atmosphere through data and imaging on the state-of-the-art exhibit Science on a Sphere, created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

Here are some of the art and science exhibits that have been shown there in the past:

You can also discover amazing ocean animals and ecosystems here on the Smithsonian Ocean Portal, featuring ocean facts, multimedia, blogs, resources, and more from Smithsonian marine research and collections, the Sant Ocean Hall, and over 20 trusted collaborators such as NOAA, National Geographic, the Encyclopedia or Life, and more. Explore the Census of Marine Life, giant squid, coral reefs, jellyfish & comb jelliessharks, and much more.

Find educator and family resources for visiting the hall here. Often our volunteers will be out in the Ocean Hall with activity carts, so keep an eye out! 

Creating the Sant Ocean Hall

The hall is named for Victoria and Roger Sant and family, Washington, D.C., philanthropists and Smithsonian supporters, who donated $15 million to endow the new hall and related programs and outreach activities. The hall, which opened in 2008, is founded on the museum's unparalleled collection (the largest marine collection in the world, with more than 80 million specimens), allowing the Smithsonian to offer the most comprehensive exhibition in the country devoted to a global view of the ocean.

The Sant Ocean Hall was created in partnership with NOAA to show the ocean as a global system that is essential to all life on Earth. The exhibition refers to ocean in the singular because the ocean is one huge, interconnected body of water that spans several basins. It took five years and hundreds of people, and now the exhibit showcases the ocean's diversity and our connection to it.

Contributors to the Ocean Initiative and the Sant Ocean Hall
 

The Congress of the United States

NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

Victoria and Roger Sant

The Summit Fund of Washington

Anonymous

3M

Ocean Conservancy

Guenther and Siewchin Yong Sommer

Sony Electronics, Inc.

Barbara K. and Cyrus B. Sweet III

Anonymous (2)

Booz Allen Hamilton

Code Blue Foundation

Malcolm Collins, Miles Collins and Catherine

Collins Masterson

Michael and Sandy Collins

Edward O. Gaylord

Alfred C. Glassell, Jr.

The Henry Foundation

History Channel

Lisina and Frank Hoch

Steven and Jane Hoch

Integrated Ocean Drilling Program

Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology

The Landmark Communications Foundation

Philip S. and Patricia J. Nelson and The Sidney S. Byers Charitable Trust

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

Feodor Pitcairn Productions, Ltd.

Sealaska Corporation

In Recognition of Their Dedicated Support and Leadership

The Honorable Judd Gregg of New Hampshire

The Honorable Ernest “Fritz” Hollings of South Carolina