Aquarium of the Bay, Public aquarium at Pier 39, San Francisco, California, US
Aquarium of the Bay is a marine facility located at Pier 39 in San Francisco that displays fish and other creatures from the local bay waters. Visitors walk through glass passages where animals swim around and above them, creating an immersive view of the underwater environment.
The facility opened in 1996 with a focus on educating the public about the bay's underwater world. Over the years, it has grown to serve as an important learning center for students and families throughout the region.
The facility demonstrates the importance of protecting the marine life that calls the San Francisco Bay home through its work with local research partners. Visitors learn how these waters connect to the health of the surrounding community.
Visitors can touch and interact with rays, sharks, and other animals in shallow pools during their visit. This hands-on experience is especially popular with families and adds an interactive element to exploring the bay's creatures.
The two acrylic tunnels run about 360 feet in total through 707,000 gallons of filtered bay water, a design based on a similar transparent tunnel at an aquarium of the same name in Auckland, New Zealand. The tunnels hold sharks, bat rays, rockfish and two giant sea bass.
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