Buxom and shapely 5'4" brunette knockout Nautica Thorn was born Shauna Tokumi on June 13, 1984, in Waipahu Ewa, Hawaii, the only child of a secretary mother and a father who worked in the construction industry (she is half Japanese, a quarter Hawaiian and a quarter Puerto Rican).

Her first job was in promotions and marketing for a record company, a job she secured at age 14 (which was also the age at which she lost her virginity). She moved to California two years later. She worked in a coffee shop for a while, then at a couple of boutiques on Hollywood's trendy Melrose Avenue before getting a job as an exotic dancer at age 18. From there she went on to nude modeling and then to adult films, making her debut in 2003. She has been nominated for several AVN awards, including Best New Starlet in 2003 and Crossover Star of the Year in 2006. In addition to her adult-film work, she has worked as a model for the mainstream fitness brand Fantasy Fitness.