Ripley's Aquarium Of Canada

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address:  288 Bremner Blvd
Date: March 2019
Website: www.ripleyaquariums.com

Click here to take a virtual tour and see our collection of Ripley's Aquarium animal photos.

   Ripley's Aquarium of Canada is a relatively new attraction in downtown Toronto.  It opened in 2013 and we visited one time before becoming members last year.  Our membership is about to end so we thought that now would be a good time to dive in and take a closer look at what we have seen.  From sharks to goldfish, we did our best to see them all, but some species have still managed to elude us.


The aquarium is divided into several sections.  You can see fish from Canada's oceans and lakes.  There is a colourful tank filled with different urchins and anemones. The Rainbow Reef is filled with hundreds of fascinating tropical fish.

A conveyor belt takes you into the shark filled Dangerous Lagoon.  As sharks swim around and above you, you may even spot one of the green sea turtles that call this tank home.

The Gallery has poisonous fish, seahorses, cuttlefish and more.

Curious Creatures has unusual things like a peacock mantis shrimp, flashlight fish and even an actual shrunken head from Robert Ripley's travels.  This is more like the Ripley of Ripley's Believe It Or Not.

Ray Bay is filled with stingrays which look like they are smiling as they swim up the tank walls.  Planet Jellies has jellyfish in a tank with ever changing back lighting.

If a hands on experience is what you want you can touch the rays that swim to the top of Ray Bay.  There are also touch tanks with horseshoe crabs and bamboo sharks.  You may also like a shrimp manicure from a scarlet cleaner shrimp.

The Life Support Systems area is where you get a glimpse behind the scenes as over 5.2 million litres of water are filtered and pumped throughout the aquarium.  Fortunately, 95% of the water gets recycled. 

One complaint we have with the aquarium is their use of video signs.  These signs slowly change from animal to animal.  So in a tank like the Rainbow Reef with hundreds of fish and many different species it can take a long time to match a name to a fish or a fish to a name.  Don't worry, we posted as many of the screens as we could on our special photo page.

We will write some more aquarium specific blogs in the future, but for now you can browse the best photos from our visits. 

Click here to take a virtual tour and see our collection of Ripley's Aquarium animal photos.

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Map of Our World
Ripley's Aquarium of Canada

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Post # 245

Remembering Super Dave

Location: Markham, Ontario, Canada 
Address: 171 Town Centre Blvd
Date: Jan 2019
Website:  bobeinstein.com

  Super Dave Osborne was the greatest stuntman the world has ever known.  Actually he was far better at making us laugh than he was at successfully completing a stunt.  Super Dave was the creation of Bob Einstein and we have been laughing at the same joke for decades.  What will go wrong with Super Dave's stunt today?  Super Dave always starts out cheery and optimistic and then things go wrong and he ends up injured and censored.  Bob Einstein died January 2nd, 2019 and we thought we would highlight the Toronto connection with his beloved character.

     Super Dave was a regular on John Byner's comedy television program called Bizarre.  It was during Bizarre that Super Dave filmed his memorable CN Tower stunt.  Just one year after stuntman Dar Robertson jumped off the tower as Christopher Plummer's stunt double in the movie Highpoint, Super Dave prepared for his jump.  Super Dave is standing outside at the top of the tower with announcer Mike Walden.  Mike would be Super Dave's announcer throughout the Super One's career.

  The stunt has to be called off due to high winds, but as Mike goes back inside the tower he hits Super Dave with the door.  We see Super Dave flail as he falls from the tower.  He lands in a parking lot that used to be just about where Ripley's Aquarium is today.  To add insult to injury, the ambulance runs Super Dave over and drags him underneath the vehicle.

  Bizarre was filmed at the Glen Warren Studios in Scarborough.  The buildings are still there today as CTV Studios.  The studios are located at number nine Channel Nine Court since 9 is the channel that the station broadcasts on.  One of us has been inside the studios to watch a taping of a television show called Circus which aired in the early 1980s.  In 1987 Super Dave was given his own show and it also filmed at CTV.

  One of us was also lucky enough to see a taping of the Super Dave show when it moved to its new location at the Markham Theatre.  The show was filmed in Markham, Ontario up until it ended in 1991.  Each week there were specials guest performers along with a Super Dave stunt.  Super Dave would attempt his stunt strapped in with genuine Saskatchewan seal skin bindings but things never worked out as he planned.  We always knew something was going to happen when Super Dave attempted a stunt.  We would have a good laugh.

  If you still need a little more of the Super One while you are in Toronto then you need to visit Super Dave! Convenience at the corner of Coxwell and Gerrard.  It has everything you expect from a convenience store.  Lotto tickets, candy bars, milk, magazines and more.  While you are there you can stand out front and give a big thumbs up with the words Super Dave up above your head.  Higher up still, in comedy heaven, you will find the legendary Super Dave.

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Map of Our World
CTV Toronto , Markham Theatre
CN Tower , Super Dave! Convenience

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Post # 238