Aquarium of the Pacific

About

The Aquarium of the Pacific is one of the most visited aquariums in the United States, welcoming over 1.5 million guests annually to its landmark building on Long Beach's Rainbow Harbor. Opened in 1998, the 156,000-square-foot facility explores the Pacific Ocean through three main gallery regions—Southern California and Baja, the Tropical Pacific, and the Northern Pacific—and a rotating selection of special exhibits and animal encounters. The Southern California/Baja gallery recreates the kelp forests, rocky reefs, and sandy bottom habitats of the California coast, featuring giant sea bass, leopard sharks, and the beloved touch pools where visitors can handle sea stars, bat rays, and bamboo sharks. The Tropical Pacific gallery brings together the coral reef ecosystems of the Indo-Pacific, with colorful reef fish, sea turtles, and a 350,000-gallon open ocean tank. The Northern Pacific gallery showcases animals from the frigid waters of Alaska and Japan, including sea otters, northern fur seals, and Japanese giant spider crabs. The aquarium is known for active conservation and research partnerships, including programs on California sea otters, Pacific sea turtles, and local fisheries sustainability. Its Honda Blue Cavern exhibit provides an underwater perspective of the protected Catalina Island marine reserve. The new Pacific Visions wing, completed in 2019, adds immersive digital technology to explore ocean conservation challenges. Education programs include school field trips, Scout badge days, homeschool programs through AquaSchool, summer camps, and volunteer opportunities for teens and adults.

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