Interact With Hawaiian Wildlife At This Must-Visit Aquarium In Maui

If you're visiting the Hawaiian island of Maui, you've got a lot of activities to choose from. You can search for the best Maui luaus, swim at the prettiest beaches, and eat incredible fresh seafood, whether from one of the island's can't-miss restaurants or even the vibrant Maui food truck scene. However, if you've got kids on your Hawaiian vacation, there is one spot you absolutely cannot afford to miss. In fact, if you love marine life, you don't even need to bring your keiki (children) with you. The Maui Ocean Center is the perfect spot to teach people of all ages about the ocean creatures around Hawaii.

You can see all sorts of sea life, like Hawaiian green sea turtles (called honu), sharks, stingrays, sea jellies, octopuses, and tropical fish galore, and the center gives you opportunities to learn about the culture of Hawaii and how important the ocean is to the people who live there. In addition to showcasing the marine animals of Hawaii, the Maui Ocean Center has one of the largest live Pacific coral displays in the world. One reviewer on Tripadvisor who visited in 2023 said of the center, "A really great experience for the whole family. We spent a few hours walking through learning about all the animal, marine life and so many other amazing things. ... One important thing to note is that most exhibits are all outdoors so it does get hot in the afternoon sun." Don't forget your sunscreen, and head to the Maui Ocean Center on your next visit to the island.

The Maui Ocean Center is open 365 days a year. The hours most days are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m, with slightly shorter times on some holidays. Adult tickets are about $45, kids' tickets cost around $35, and senior tickets cost about $40, with military pricing available. Check the website before you book, as ticket prices are liable to change based on demand. You can also add on experiences like a behind-the-scenes tour or a Hawaiian culture tour, though you do need to be able to stand and walk for around 90 minutes for the latter. There are also memberships available.

When you visit, don't miss the Humpback Whales of Hawaii Exhibit & Sphere, a 3D adventure show with 4k imagery and surround sound so you can feel what it's like to swim with these majestic creatures. If you're over 12 years of age, you reserve in advance, you're SCUBA-certified, and you're feeling brave, you even have the opportunity to dive with real sharks. The experience lasts around three hours and ranges in price from $350 to $450 per person, depending on the equipment required.

Kids can see wildlife presentations and feedings, and they can explore the center with a Keiki Petroglyph Passport, which you can pick up at the entrance when you arrive. That lets them search for the 12 petroglyphs hidden around the park and make rubbings of them to keep as a souvenir. Kids are encouraged to ask the staff any questions they like. If you get hungry while you're there, you can eat at either the Reef Café, which has salads, sandwiches, and Pineapple Dole Whips, or the Seascape Restaurant with outdoor seating, food, and cocktails. 

Maui Ocean Center hosts many exciting, educational exhibits featuring a diverse array of animals. In one, you can learn all about Hawaiian culture, with the stories of the kanaka maoli, the first people of Hawaii, and how they got to the islands in canoes, using the stars to find their way across the ocean. You can also visit the Living Reef Exhibit showcasing multicolored coral of all shapes and sizes, sea stars, and sea urchins. You'll experience different levels of the ocean and the animals that live there, like butterflyfish, wrasse, surgeonfish, seahorses, and triggerfish. In the Deep Reef Exhibit, you can see blacktip reef sharks and other animals that have adapted to live along the reefs 100 feet below sea level.

In the Open Ocean Exhibit you'll find sharks and rays, as well as 50 different types of fish all around you as you walk through an underwater tunnel. Hawaiian broad stingrays searching the sand for food while above them swim sandbar sharks, blacktip reef sharks, and sometimes even tiger sharks and hammerheads. One exhibit you absolutely must catch is Sea Turtle Lagoon, featuring the Hawaiian green sea turtle, the largest hard-shelled turtle in the world, which can grow to 4 feet long. The turtles here are captive bred and released in the wild when they're large enough. In fact, there is even a ceremony that happens when they're released, and the turtles are tagged so they can be monitored. 

You can find the Maui Ocean Center in Wailuku about 16 miles from Lahaina by car or 13 miles from Wailea. There is paid (for non-residents) parking right in front of the center, costing a few dollars. It's an independently owned lot, and you pay by QR code over your phone.