Ocean World aquarium is privately owned and operated and has been in Crescent City since 1964. Originally Ocean World was called Under Sea Gardens and was located in the small boat basin. It was a barge that was built in Seattle as an aquarium and floated down to Crescent City and rested in the harbor. Visitors would descend below the surface of the water to observation windows to view the sea life. In 1985 the barge was moved to dry land and took on a new life as Undersea World aquarium. The aquarium now consists of tanks holding over half a million gallons and an abundance of sea life, including sharks, seals, sea lions, rays and wolf eels. Now with a name change to Ocean World and added attractions of shark petting, interactive tide pool, and a highflying sea lion performance, we have something for the whole family.