Ocean Week 2026
Ten years of Ocean Week and World Oceans Day, May 31 to June 8, 2026.
Read more →Port of Iona · Pitu’paq / Bras d’Or Lake · Unama’ki / Cape Breton Island
Discovery Centre reopens in June 2027
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Port of Iona, 2583 St. Columba Road, Iona, NS
Admission by donation · Open June to October
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What’s Happening
Discovery doesn’t stop when the season ends.
Every season at the Port of Iona brings new discoveries, new people and new connections around Pitu’paq / the Bras d’Or Lake. Follow the stories, events and work taking shape at Àros na Mara, at the Discovery Centre, along the shoreline and through relationships that reach beyond Iona.
2026 at Àros na Mara: a season in review
2026 was an important year at Àros na Mara. Ocean Week and World Oceans Day marked its tenth year, bringing together public learning, youth leadership, environmental film, shoreline stewardship, trails, music and community discussion across Iona. About 3,000 cumulative person-visits were recorded across the week’s activities and venues.
The season also brought new underwater capability through the BlueROV2, continuing youth involvement, new scientific and educational relationships, and a growing connection between the Discovery Centre and what can be observed along the Port and shoreline.
10th year
of Ocean Week and World Oceans Day
About 3,000
cumulative person-visits across the week’s activities and venues
May 31 – June 8
Ocean Week and World Oceans Day 2026
Featured stories
BlueROV2: seeing beneath the surface
How our BlueROV2 brought underwater images and observations from the Lake to visitors in 2026.
Read more →
Twinned with the SAMS Ocean Explorer Centre
Our Discovery Centre was formally twinned with the SAMS Ocean Explorer Centre in Scotland during Waters Flowing Together in October 2025.
Read more →Every June
Ocean Week
Ocean Week and World Oceans Day is Àros na Mara’s annual June celebration of discovery and learning about the Lake.
Planning for Àros na Mara Ocean Week and World Oceans Day 2027 is underway. Dates and program details will be shared once confirmed.
Ocean Week Canada in Iona 2026
Video by Eva Carmichael and Rhys Healy, supported by the Ocean Frontier Institute and Dalhousie’s Oceanography Department. Photography credited to Rhys Healy.
What we’re working on
01
Planning the 2027 season, including Ocean Week and World Oceans Day.
02
Developing the Living Shore along the Port and shoreline.
03
Growing our twinning with the SAMS Ocean Explorer Centre and other partnerships.
04
Improving the Discovery Centre and creating youth and field-learning opportunities, alongside discussions about an emerging Pitu’paq Living Lab.
Stay connected
Follow along for discoveries, stories and news from the Port, and hear about events as they are announced.
Have a story or photo from the Port? We’d love to see it.
Email your stories and photos to [email protected].
Questions people ask
When is Ocean Week 2027?
Planning is underway. Dates and program details will be shared once confirmed.
Is the Discovery Centre open in winter?
No. The Discovery Centre is open seasonally:
Open daily, first Sunday in June to third Saturday in October, except Canada Day, Labour Day and Thanksgiving Day.
June and October: 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
July, August and September: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.