Bookable
UnderWater World, 1996
The aquarium opened on 19 April 1996 as UnderWater World, at the entrance to PIER 39 on the Embarcadero. After a remodel it was relaunched as Aquarium of the Bay in July 2001.


A non-profit for the bay
In 2009 The Bay Institute completed its purchase of the aquarium, which became a non-profit centre for education and research. Its mission is to protect, restore and inspire conservation of San Francisco Bay and its watershed, from the Sierra to the sea.
Otters, sharks and jellies
North American river otters arrived with a new exhibit in June 2013. Moon jellies have been raised at the aquarium since 1998, and it was the first in the United States to breed healthy Pacific angel sharks.



