AQUARIUM OF THE BRAIN EDUCATION IS THE KEY AT BIRCH.

Byline: - Eric Noland

LA JOLLA - From the bluffs above La Jolla, visitors can gaze upon the swells rolling in off the Pacific, the copper-brown tips of the distant kelp forests, the frothy spray kicked up in the coves. At the Birch Aquarium at Scripps, they can peer beneath the surface of this complex marine world - without getting wet.

The aquarium, which sits atop a hillside at the north end of La Jolla, provides an enjoyable diversion on a trip to this coastal community, but travelers who have been to the Monterey Bay Aquarium or the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific will probably find that this small, simple facility pales in comparison to those impressive exhibitions of marine life.

The Birch Aquarium, after all, is an offshoot of the University of California, San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography and has identified its primary purpose as educational. Here, you don't just gape in wonder at wolf eels, stingrays and moon jellyfish, you are given a crash course about their place - and plight - in the ocean's ecology. There is also a heavy emphasis on Scripps' research and ocean conservation efforts.

One popular feature is a fish-feeding session, conducted three times a week (12:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 10:30 a.m. Sunday). In the half-hour program, a diver who is hooked up to a microphone-intercom system interacts with the crowd while feeding fish in one of the large tanks.

The aquarium's Hall of Fishes exhibits are laid out in a sequence that provides a compressed tour of the West Coast: from the giant Pacific octopus of the Northwest coast to the jellyfish and kelp forests of Southern California, on to the tropical waters of Mexico.

Outside on the aquarium plaza is a re-creation of a tide pool, plus the Discovery Station, where the curious can observe the heavily accessorized decorator crab or run a finger along the velvety smooth skin of a sea cucumber.

The view from the plaza - of La Jolla Shores and the cliffs below the village - is impressive, too.

The strong emphasis on education can be a real boon to parents of inquisitive children. Each tank in the Hall of Fishes has photographs and informational text to correspond with the creatures within. So if a little one asks, ``Wow, what is that big thing?'' a parent can respond without much hesitation, ``Um, a leopard grouper. Lives in the Sea of Cortez off Mexico. Big, isn't it?''

IF YOU GO

GETTING THERE: The Birch Aquarium at Scripps is located at 2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla (off North Torrey Pines Road).

HOURS, COSTS: Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is $9.50 for adults, $8 for seniors (60 and up), $6 for children (3-17). Parking is $3.

INFORMATION: Call [phone] or visit www.aquarium.ucsd.edu.

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(1 -- 2) Displays at the Birch Aquarium, run by the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, aim to teach as well as entertain visitors. At right, the aquarium sits on a hillside at the north end of La Jolla.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer

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IF YOU GO (see text)