Have a passion for the sea, love of tropical fish, and interest in coral reefs? Maui Ocean Center is the perfect place to familiarize yourself with Maui’s sea creatures. Experience an underwater world at this premier aquarium. Trip Advisor named the Maui Ocean Center one of the top 25 aquariums in the United States. The Center is dedicated to Hawaiian wildlife species and perpetuating the relationship that exists between the Hawaiian population and the sea.
The aquarium features thousand of tropical fish, turtles, stingrays, octopus, moray eels, jellyfish and many varietals of shark species including the famous tiger shark. All of the animals at Maui Ocean Center can be found in Hawaiian waters. Of these, one-fourth are endemic to Hawaii and cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
You can attend a specific event at the center or explore all the exhibits. If you buy in advance, tickets may be discounted. The Marine Naturalists do daily interactive presentations at various times throughout the park. You can view upcoming special events here. The Maui Ocean Center also offers dining at its Seascape Restaurant, Reef Cafe and Coffee Shack.
The Maui Ocean Center is well known for its work on the coral recovery and migration effort. The aquarium has successfully maintained live coral for over 18 years and is also part of an effort to recover coral in the open ocean. Corals are transplanted outside the harbor or brought to the ocean center until they are ready to be transferred back onsite.
The Maui Ocean Center is located in Maalaea at 192 Maalaea Road, Wailuku, HI 96793. Hours of operation are from 9:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. daily. The latest admission is 4:30 p.m. Plan to spend approximately 2 hours for your visit. Parking is free and tickets can be purchased online or on-site. Check out the Youtube page to get a feel for the sea creatures you can discover!
