Baja Bay

Sunny and Azul are brothers! Hatched in 2003 at Sea World San Diego, they were hand-raised and have spent their lives as representatives of their species at Sea World and Monterey Bay Aquarium before coming to Tacoma. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service does not consider them releasable to the wild.
Sunny weighs 114 pounds, is the more independent of the brothers and is picky about his food. Dramatic body language lets his caretakers know that he isn’t a fan of spinach.

Azul and Sunny are brothers! Hatched in 2003 at Sea World San Diego, they were hand-raised and have spent their lives as representatives of their species at Sea World and Monterey Bay Aquarium before coming to Tacoma. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service does not consider them releasable to the wild.
Azul, who weighs nearly 79 pounds less than his brother, “is definitely the more inquisitive and curious one,” aquarists say. “He is more laid back and likes attention. He’s almost always more interested in enrichments (special food items) than Sunny.”

Bruno is our Atlantic green sea turtle who arrived in 2020. Hatched in 1997, he’s around 168 pounds – bigger than Sunny and Azul. But he really likes rubbing shells with them! Read the story for more.

Eagle rays are one of the largest rays in the ocean, growing up to 10 feet across and 16 feet tip to tail. Found in warm water across the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic oceans, they have a distinctive pattern of small whitish spots across their dark gray-blue backs. They get their name from their wing-like pectoral fins, which seem to fly them through the water. A long, whip-like tail has up to 6 barbed spines at its base.

These rays eat a variety of fish, crustaceans, cephalopods, worms and mollusks, using their snouts to probe in mud for prey.

They are fished for meat and cartilage, and their tail for decoration, and are listed as near-threatened.

You can spot our nurse sharks because they love to hang out at the bottom of Baja Bay. Slow swimmers and bottom feeders, they are docile unless disturbed, although they can grow to a whopping 10 feet.

One of the few sharks whose pups are born live (after hatching from eggs in mom’s body), nurse sharks eat small fish, crab, octopus and other sea creatures, using their mouths like vacuums to suck prey out of crevices. They’re often found in groups, piled on top of each other.

SHARK SUPERFANS KNOW…

They can change color to match their surroundings, grow a new set of teeth every 8 days and have two nasal barbels (like fleshy whiskers) near their mouth, which help them feel around for prey on the ocean floor.

Who else is in Baja?

Look for convict tangs, Cortez angelfish, bigscale soldierfish, Panamic porkfish, Moorish idols, blue and gold snapper and other fish that love warm water. We’re adding more all the time!

Check out the kiosk next to the window to see photos and fun facts about each fish.