Long Beach Aquarium
Aquarium of the Pacific, formerly known as Long Beach Aquarium is a nonprofit aquarium located on a 5 acre site on Rainbow Harbor in Long Island, California. The aquarium has a staff of over 900 people out of which the majority is volunteers. Over 1.5 visitors tour the aquarium annually.
The aquarium has over 11,000 species of ocean animals that represent over 500 species. There are three permanent galleries that focus on the Pacific Ocean. From the frigid waters of the north Pacific to the tropical water, species of sea creatures that inhibit these diverse climates are displayed in the aquarium.
A major attraction of the aquarium is the shark lagoon. Here guests can see sharks and sting rays and can actually touch them as they swim by. The 10,000 ft shark lagoon is home to over 150 sharks, some of them you can touch and some that you can't. Guests can watch the sharks through a huge window as they swim around searching for food. Here you can come nose to nose with sand tiger, sandbar, nurse, white tip and many other breeds of sharks. In the shallow touching pools you can touch zebra, bamboo and epaulette sharks. These are the gentler breeds among these predators. There are various interactive displays where people and children can learn a lot about these most misunderstood creatures.
The aquarium has the largest and most diverse body of water in the world. The aquarium features 19 major habitats and 32 focus exhibits. The southern California/Baja Gallery displays the diverse marine life in 18 exhibits. The impressive Blue Cavern is located at the entrance of the gallery. This 3 story high exhibit displays marine life found along the California coast and Catalina Island. Here in the swaying kelp you see California's state fish, the garibaldi and giant spined sea stars and scorpion fish. A seal and sea lion habitat gives visitors an opportunity to see these creatures from up close. The Sea of Cortez exhibit at the aquarium visitors can see silver fish, and butterfly fishes. There is a ray touch pool also where visitors can touch sting rays.
The aquarium's Northern Pacific gallery is home to the otter and the mysterious Pacific octopus. This gallery has over 16 exhibits showing marine life in the cold waters of the northern Pacific. Children can gaze at the otters as they constantly roll in the frigid waters to keep their bodies warm. The diving birds' exhibit gives visitors a rare chance to see puffins and auklets dive from high crevices into the sea.
The tropical Pacific gallery gives visitors an opportunity to view the teeming and colorful sea life that exists in the warm waters of the Pacific. Thousands of colorful fish, reef sharks and turtles inhibit the pool along with sea horses and sea dragons.
The Long Beach Aquarium has a number of outdoor exhibits where visitors can see the birds and animals that inhibit the long coast line of the Pacific.
