Bookable
An Apollonaut travel guide
The place behind the detail.
A waterfront pier, a change of mission and the animals of the bay offer several ways into the story of Aquarium of the Bay.
On this page
At the entrance to PIER 39
The aquarium opened in 1996 as UnderWater World, at the Embarcadero and Beach Street, at the edge of PIER 39. It took its present name in 2001.
About 600,000 people visit each year.
Focused on the bay
Since The Bay Institute bought it in 2009, the aquarium has been a non-profit centre for education and research, focused on San Francisco Bay and its watershed.
It is a Smithsonian Affiliate, the only Smithsonian-affiliated aquarium in California.
Animals of the bay
Around 24,000 animals from more than 200 species live at the aquarium, among them more than 50 sharks and four river otters.
This history belongs to the place and the people who shaped it. The History page offers a longer introduction, and the timeline gives a short route through selected milestones.
Read at the source
Sources & further reading
Links lead to the original publishers.
