The Aquarium, jutting out 200 feet (61 m) into the Charleston Harbor, encompasses the Southeast Appalachian Watershed as found in South Carolina: The Mountain Forest, the Piedmont, the Coastal Plain, the Coast, and the Ocean.

The 93,000-square-foot (8,600 m2) building includes 9 galleries featuring 6,000-7,000 amazing aquatic animals, from river otters and sharks to loggerhead turtles, in more than 100 exhibits.

The exhibit makes the real-life rehabilitation of sick and injured sea turtles visible to every guest who visits the Aquarium.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources transports injured or stranded sea turtles to the hospital, after which aquarium staff and volunteers nurture the animal back to health.

[3] A staff veterinarian can perform surgery, administer x-rays, IVs, and even provide blood transfusions to turtles that are severely anemic.

Rehabilitated turtles are taken to a local beach and allowed to return to the ocean once the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources clears them for release.