There is strong emphasis on the interdependence of marine life and shore life and on the urgency of preserving the marine and estuarine environment. Dedicated to interpreting relationships between people and the earth's marine environment, this center attracts visitors from all over the Bay Area. A focal point for this educational effort is the Visitor Center's Old Wharf Classroom. There, in a picturesque setting, youngsters and adults alike can learn about such topics as shoreline wildlife and the food chains that sustain all living creatures. The waterless plunge takes the form of a display case showing a cross-section of bay, with lifelike models of shoreline and underwater animals.
Adjacent rooms contain an aquarium and lots of interactive exhibits.
A special section of the visitor center is devoted to Alameda's colorful history. Up until the late 1930s, the area now occupied by the visitor center was part of a thriving resort community featuring bathing spas and an amusement park. Later, during and just after World War II, it was the site of the U.S. Maritime Service Officers School, a training base for Merchant Marine commanders. What is now the visitor center building was the base infirmary. Education continues just outside the center, where Crab Cove itself, at the foot of McKay Avenue, has been designated the first California estuarine marine reserve.