What to KnowMeet the GrunionCabrillo Marine AquariumApril 3 and other select 2026 nights$10 adult; $5 seniors, students, and kids; Friends members are admitted freeSan Pedro
Coming across the light-catching jewels of the springtime beach, the sort of bright and flashing gems that may or may not have been dropped on the beach by some great titan of the sea, can feel unreal for the first few moments.
But the millions of silversides fishes that wriggle around some of the sandy expanses of the Golden State on select spring and summer nights are not jewels or gems in the usual sense; they’re living ocean critters that spawn on the beach, much to the delight of the humans who arrive to watch them in awesome action.
The emphasis there is most definitely on the “awe”: “Meet the Grunion”, the annual series presented by Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, returns each year with a surfside show that feels almost fictional, and most definitely fantastical.
The first “Meet the Grunion” of the 2026 will shimmy ashore April 3, and tickets are available now.
You won’t actually shake hands, or fins, with the grunion, despite the event’s name, but you will start your evening in the San Pedro aquarium’s auditorium. An educator — call them a grunion-ologist, if you feel like — will explain this eons-old rite of the grunion run, how the moon plays a role, how the tides help deliver the grunion to their sandy spawning spots, and the difference between closed and open seasons.
After the talk — you’ll discover how female grunions employ their tails to wriggle down into the sand to deposit eggs, and how male grunions supply the all-important milt — you’ll make your way to an adjacent beach to watch, fingers crossed, the grunions do their awe-filled thing.
Of course, not every night that the famous fishes are expected to visit the beach produces a big showing, so you have to go with the flow and embrace the fact that nature is sometimes surprising.
Oh yes: The grunions aren’t wearing a stitch, of course, but you should bundle up a bit or at least dress in layers for a cool Southern California spring night.
Also, good walking shoes are important for your nighttime ramble from the aquarium to the ocean’s edge and back.
You are permitted to take grunion fishes by hand during open season, with a valid California Fishing License, but keep in mind that the “Meet the Grunion” evenings take place during closed season which lasts from April to June.
Prepare to stand back during those nights and marvel from a nearby vantage point as actual fishes come onto actual land to actually spawn. Like “awe,” “marvel” is a word that fits this experience well.
For more on open season, closed season, and all of the dates of the 2026 Grunion Runs, swim by the State of California Department of Fish and Wildlife.