Aquarium of the Pacific

The Aquarium of the Pacific is a public aquarium and nonprofit cultural attraction located on a six-acre site at Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach, California. The institution opened on June 20, 1998, originally using the name Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific before adopting its current shorter name. Its waterfront location places it across from the Long Beach Convention Center, Shoreline Village, and the Queen Mary attraction, with Aquarium Way providing direct access to the facility. The aquarium's identity is organized around the Pacific Ocean and the diversity of its coastal and open-water environments. Its permanent exhibition program is divided principally into three regional galleries: Southern California and Baja, the Northern Pacific, and the Tropical Pacific. Together, these galleries present animals and habitats associated with the eastern Pacific coast, the Bering Sea and adjacent northern waters, and tropical Pacific ecosystems. The institution combines live-animal exhibits with interpretive material intended to explain marine ecology, regional habitats, environmental pressures, and conservation. Among the aquarium's largest and most recognizable installations is the Honda Blue Cavern, a three-story tank holding approximately 142,000 U.S. gallons and representing waters near Catalina Island. Other Southern California and Baja exhibits include a recreated giant kelp forest, a Gulf of California habitat, a seal and sea lion habitat, a ray touch pool, and a shorebird sanctuary. The Northern Pacific Gallery includes southern sea otters, a giant Pacific octopus exhibit, Japanese spider crabs, jellyfish, sea anemones, puffins, and auklets. The aquarium also maintains exhibits and educational presentations relating to tropical Pacific environments. The collection includes more than 12,000 animals. Exhibit capacities range from approximately 5,000 to 350,000 U.S. gallons, allowing the aquarium to present both comparatively small organisms and large, immersive habitat displays. Its public offer is centered on admission-based visitation, permanent and temporary exhibits, animal encounters, educational programming, conservation interpretation, and related visitor experiences rather than on the sale of consumer products. The Aquarium of the Pacific operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, with accreditation reported through March 2031. It is a major regional visitor attraction: the aquarium recorded approximately 1.7 million visitors in 2018. In 2024, it reported 485 employees and 1,979 volunteers, indicating a substantial operational and educational workforce. The institution's role therefore extends beyond entertainment to public science education, marine stewardship, and interpretation of Pacific ecosystems.

The Aquarium of the Pacific was established as a major public aquarium for Long Beach, California, and opened to visitors on June 20, 1998. It was initially known as the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific, a name that emphasized both its location and its purpose as a Pacific-focused marine institution. The aquarium occupies approximately six acres on Rainbow Harbor, a waterfront area near the Long Beach Convention Center, Shoreline Village, and the Queen Mary attraction. The site also has a dedicated access road known as Aquarium Way. From its opening, the aquarium's central interpretive concept was the Pacific Ocean rather than a single local coastline or narrow animal collection. Its exhibitions are structured around major Pacific regions, allowing visitors to compare habitats and species from Southern California and Baja, the northern Pacific and Bering Sea, and tropical Pacific environments. This regional framework supports both place-based interpretation and broader discussion of marine biodiversity, food webs, habitat change, and conservation. The Southern California and Baja presentation includes the Honda Blue Cavern, a large three-story tank modeled on the waters surrounding Catalina Island. The same gallery presents kelp-forest life, Gulf of California species, seals and sea lions, rays, and shorebirds. The Northern Pacific Gallery broadens the geographic scope with southern sea otters, giant Pacific octopuses, Japanese spider crabs, jellyfish, sea anemones, puffins, and auklets. The aquarium also operates a Tropical Pacific Gallery, completing the institution's principal permanent-gallery structure. The aquarium developed as both a visitor attraction and an educational nonprofit. Its exhibits range from tanks of roughly 5,000 U.S. gallons to installations of approximately 350,000 gallons, and the overall collection includes more than 12,000 animals. This scale enables the institution to offer immersive habitat displays as well as smaller, species-focused exhibits and touch experiences. Conservation themes are integrated into the regional galleries and public interpretation, linking animal presentation with environmental awareness. The institution is organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and holds accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, reported as extending through March 2031. Its visitor base has grown into a substantial regional audience; approximately 1.7 million people visited in 2018. The aquarium's operating model also depends heavily on public participation and volunteer support. In 2024, it reported 485 employees and 1,979 volunteers. These figures reflect the staffing required for animal care, exhibit operations, education, visitor services, conservation work, and administration. Today, the Aquarium of the Pacific remains an active Long Beach institution whose public identity is built on Pacific marine life, regional environmental education, and conservation-oriented interpretation. It functions simultaneously as a museum-like educational venue, an animal-care facility, a tourism destination, and a nonprofit community resource.

• 2024

  Reported workforce and volunteer base

  [1]Aquarium of the Pacificen.wikipedia.org

  The aquarium reported 485 employees and 1,979 volunteers in 2024.

• 2018

  Reported visitor attendance reaches approximately 1.7 million

  [1]Aquarium of the Pacificen.wikipedia.org

  The aquarium reported approximately 1.7 million visitors in 2018, illustrating its importance as a major regional attraction.

• 1998

  Aquarium opens in Long Beach

  [1]Aquarium of the Pacificen.wikipedia.org

  The public aquarium opened on June 20, 1998, at Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach, California, initially using the name Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific.

• Reported AZA accreditation horizon

  [1]Aquarium of the Pacificen.wikipedia.org

  Association of Zoos and Aquariums accreditation is reported as continuing through March 2031.

A regional nonprofit aquarium that combines Pacific Ocean wildlife exhibits, public education, conservation messaging, and waterfront tourism.

• Permanent regional gallery · 1998

  Southern California/Baja Gallery

  A permanent gallery focused on coastal and marine habitats of Southern California, Baja California, Catalina Island, the Gulf of California, and nearby waters. Its installations include the three-story Honda Blue Cavern, a giant kelp-forest exhibit, a Gulf of California habitat, a seal and sea lion habitat, a ray touch pool, and a shorebird sanctuary. The gallery combines regional species displays with interpretation of local marine ecosystems.

• Permanent regional gallery · 1998

  Northern Pacific Gallery

  A gallery centered on northern Pacific environments, including the Bering Sea and adjacent waters. It presents southern sea otters, giant Pacific octopuses, Japanese spider crabs, jellyfish, sea anemones, puffins, and auklets. The exhibits emphasize the biological variety of colder Pacific ecosystems and provide habitat-based context for the animals on display.

• Permanent regional gallery · 1998

  Tropical Pacific Gallery

  A permanent exhibition area devoted to tropical Pacific habitats and wildlife. It forms the third major regional component of the aquarium's Pacific Ocean framework, complementing the Southern California/Baja and Northern Pacific galleries with displays and conservation interpretation focused on warmer tropical marine environments.

• Large habitat exhibit · 1998

  Honda Blue Cavern

  A three-story, approximately 142,000-U.S.-gallon habitat exhibit representing the waters surrounding Catalina Island. It is one of the aquarium's largest and most prominent installations and is designed to give visitors an immersive view of animals associated with Southern California's offshore marine environment.

• Marine mammal exhibit · 1998

  Seal and Sea Lion Habitat

  A large habitat in the Southern California/Baja Gallery for seals and sea lions. The exhibit presents regional marine mammals within the aquarium's broader interpretation of California coastal ecosystems and supports public learning about marine mammal biology and conservation.

• Marine mammal exhibit · 1998

  Sea Otter Habitat

  A Northern Pacific Gallery habitat featuring southern sea otters. The exhibit introduces visitors to the species' marine lifestyle and its relationship to northern Pacific coastal ecosystems.

1. 1Aquarium of the Pacificen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Aquarium of the Pacific official websiteaquariumofpacific.org