1994: YEAR IN REVIEW : A Bonanza of Briny Bargains : Family: L.A. may not have a major aquarium, but seekers of undersea activity needn’t be disappointed.

As a dark orange sea cucumber crept its way along a rock, a crowd gathered to watch. Unsure of what to make of its spiky, slimy body, the spectators reached out with their fingers, one by one, to touch the creature.

Some young children giggled, some squealed. Others, including many of the adults, simply smiled. Above the din, teen-agers on a high school field trip used a mixture of grody and cool to describe the experience.

Lesson No. 1 at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro is that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Lesson No. 2: There’s something about marine life that fascinates young and old.

But finding a public aquarium isn’t easy in Southern California, where giant rubber sharks and synthetic sea bass roam the depths of some amusement parks. Indeed, Los Angeles is one of the few large American cities without a major collection of aquatic animals.

Unlike Chicago, Baltimore or, heck, even Chattanooga, Tenn., which all took steps to expand or build aquariums in the last decade, L.A. saw its premier site close in 1987 with the demise of Marineland on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Since then, the closest some have come to seeing marine life in person is the robotic Jaws on the Universal Studios tour or on Disneyland’s magical, mystical (and mechanized) submarine ride.

But for those interested in learning something about the real undersea world, there are a handful of Southern California activities to awaken the Jacques Cousteau in us all. And, as a bonus, most cost little, nothing or request only a donation:

One of the best values is the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, which houses more than 30 saltwater tanks and numerous exhibits. Visitors can see live animals that inhabit the ocean’s divergent environments, from the sandy beaches to kelp forests. Displays include tanks of octopuses, lobsters and sardines not destined for someone’s plate. One exhibit lets people feel the sandpaper-like texture of shark skin. But perhaps the most popular area is the tide pool touch tank, which lets visitors pet prickly sea urchins, sea stars and giant keyhole limpets.

* 3720 Stephen White Drive, San Pedro. Donations accepted; beach parking is $4.50 weekdays and $5.50 weekends. Closed Mondays and today for Christmas. (310) 548-7562.

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Though located on the Manhattan Beach Pier, the Roundhouse Marine Studies Lab and Aquarium doesn’t allow fishing. The collection of roughly half a dozen tanks includes a 2,200-gallon shark tank, a reef tank and a lobster tank with a 50-year-old specimen named Lucy. The lab also has a tide pool touch tank, a video display and a special kids’ corner.

* Manhattan Beach Pier, end of Manhattan Beach Boulevard. Donations accepted; metered parking (bring quarters). Wednesday-Friday, 3 p.m.-sunset; weekends, 10 a.m.-sunset. (310) 379-8117.

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Tucked away on a corner of Ft. MacArthur in San Pedro, the Marine Mammal Care Center treats sick and injured seals and sea lions. Stranded animals, often suffering from malnutrition, dehydration and attacks by animals and humans, arrive via animal control agencies from Ventura County to Long Beach.

The average stay at the center is about three months, Director Don Zumwalt said. The busiest time tends to be in the spring, when pups are weaned, though the center receives a steady stream of northern fur seals, California sea lions, elephant seals and harbor seals throughout the year.

Visitors view the mammals through chain-link fences but seem to bond with them despite the distance, Zumwalt said. A similar center operates in Laguna Beach.

* 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro. Donations accepted. Daily, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. (310) 548-5677. Also: Friends of the Sea Lion, 20612 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. Daily, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (714) 494-3050.

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The Orange County Marine Institute has a touch tank and displays, including the skeleton of a baby gray whale suspended from the ceiling. The institute also offers three-hour marine biology cruises that allow participants to explore the harbor or examine urchins, sea stars and mollusks freshly collected from the ocean bottom. A special bioluminescence cruise, which looks at the ability of certain plankton, fish and worms to create their own light, is held on Saturday nights with little or no moonlight.

* 24200 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point. Donations accepted, though cruises cost $6-$22 for adults, $4-$16 for children. Call (714) 496-2274 for hours.

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Farther down the coast, La Jolla boasts the Stephen Birch Aquarium-Museum. Its 33 tanks, including a 50,000-gallon display of a kelp forest, showcase research being done at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The aquarium is currently running several holiday events such as “Santa’s Arctic Science Lab,” which explains how polar bears, walruses and whales survive the cold.

* 2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla. Adults, $6.50; senior citizens, $5.50; students or ages 13-17, $4.50; ages 3-12, $3.50; free for children under 3 or military personnel in uniform. Parking, $2.50. Daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed today for Christmas. (619) 534-3474.

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A heavy touch of showmanship mixes with science at Sea World in San Diego, now in its 30th year of operation. The 150-acre park features more than 20 exhibits on sharks, penguins and other marine life. Five shows, including the trademark show with Shamu the killer whale, run throughout the day.

* Sea World Drive, San Diego. Ages 12 and older, $28.95; children 3-11, $20.95; free for ages 3 and under. Parking, $5. (619) 226-3901.

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For the more adventurous, the Santa Catalina Island Co. offers semi-submersible boat rides to view fish underwater. The 60-foot Starlight carries up to 36 passengers on a 40-minute tour off the island’s coast, giving a view akin to what a diver might see.

On day trips, customers can tour kelp beds off the island and spot fish such as garibaldi, calico bass, rockfish and bat rays. At night, an ominous seascape emerges, with horn sharks, spiny lobsters and the occasional moray eel.

* Adults, $18; children 2-12, $12. A round-trip ticket to the island adds about $35. (800) 242-4969.

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For the more frugal-minded, whale-watching along the coast costs nothing. The annual migra tion of gray whales from Alaskan waters to Baja California has just begun. Binoculars, a good view of the sea and patience are all you need.

For deeper background, the Point Vicente Interpretive Center, an official whale census location, offers exhibits and docents.

* 31501 Palos Verdes Drive W., Rancho Palos Verdes. Adults, $2; children ages 4-13, $1. Daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed today and New Year’s Day. (310) 377-5370.

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Exploring tide pools is another option that doesn’t cost a dime, though aquariums frequently offer low-cost guided tours. The shallow pools contain a microcosm of animals and plants, from anemones and hermit crabs to red algae. In the spring and summer, grunion make their mating runs on area beaches, providing a unique albeit voyeuristic look at nature.

Fish fetish still not satisfied? Time and travel may be the only solutions. Several proposals are in the works to build major aquariums in Long Beach, the Los Angeles Harbor area and Ventura County. But all would take years to build.

For now, there’s the Monterey Bay Aquarium, located on the Cannery Row of Steinbeck fame ((408) 375-3333). And in San Francisco, there’s the Steinhart Aquarium at the Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park ((415) 750-7145).