Mystic Aquarium

Dr. Ballard’s deep-sea explorations come alive in the new Nautilus Live Theater at Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, Connecticut. This new, 50 seat, state-of-the-art theater space transports visitors to the unknown depths of the world’s oceans. Join Dr. Ballard aboard his new ship of exploration, the E/V Nautilus, as he explores Earth’s last great uncharted territory.

When the E/V Nautilus is at sea (July through November), telepresence technology brings live video and two-way ship-to-shore communications to the Nautilus Live Theater. You’ll have a front-row seat as the expedition team searches for undiscovered natural wonders and lost chapters of human history in the deep-water regions of the Black Sea, Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.

When the E/V Nautilus returns to port in the off-season (December through June), the Theater showcases the highlights of the expedition, now in high-def, of the amazing discoveries that took place just months before. A Nautilus team member who has been working with Dr. Ballard's team throughout the summer guides audiences through the expedition findings and their own special telepresence experiences during daily theater shows.

The Nautilus Live Theater is located in the Ocean Exploration Center exhibition, the world’s only exhibit space centered around Dr. Ballard’s deep-sea exploration and discoveries.

Shows occur throughout the day. Free show tickets are distributed at the information booth at the front of the aquarium on a first-come, first-serve basis.

You can also follow the expedition on NautilusLive.org, featuring live video feeds, status updates detailing current expedition activities and discoveries, maps showing the ship’s location and  blog posts from Nautilus team members.