Toronto may be famous for its skyline and street life, but today we traded the concrete jungle for an underwater one at Ripley’s Aquarium.

The moment we stepped inside, the hum of the city gave way to shimmering blue light and the soothing swirl of sea life. Tanks full of tropical fish sparkled like living rainbows. Jellyfish pulsed slowly in the dark like tiny floating lanterns. And somewhere in the distance, the low, mysterious bass hum of the ocean seemed to follow us from room to room.

The real showstopper was the moving walkway through the Dangerous Lagoon. We glided along inside a glass tunnel while sharks cruised overhead and beside us, their fins slicing through the water like stealthy submarines. A sawfish lounged right above the glass ceiling, giving us a “this is my spot” stare, while enormous rays drifted by like silent, friendly spaceships. It was the closest I’ve ever come to being part of the cast of Finding Nemo.

Then came the hands-on highlight—the ray touch tank. We rolled up our sleeves and leaned over the edge, waiting for one to sweep by. Their skin was cool and slippery, like satin dipped in the ocean. Every so often a particularly curious ray would do a slow fly-by, letting us trail our fingers along its back as if it were saying, “One more lap for you, land creature.”

By the time we left, our heads were still underwater. Toronto’s sidewalks felt strangely dry and solid, and the honk of traffic seemed oddly loud after the hush of the tanks. But we walked away with the feeling that, just for a couple of hours, we’d been somewhere entirely different—a world where sharks ruled, rays smiled, and jellyfish lit up the night.