Maui Ocean Center

From the outside, this petite aquarium overlooking Ma'alaea harbor appears deceptively small, but just wait until you see what's under the surface. Inside, visitors are treated to an exceptional underwater world that opens up as guests dive deeper into its captivating exhibits. Unlike most aquariums, Maui Ocean Center is dedicated to Hawaii's ecosystem and natural history. Here, you'll start in the shallows and progress into the depths, visiting everything from touchable starfish, glowing jellyfish, and the world’s largest collection of live coral to finned neon natives, octopuses, and rays. Especially popular are the green sea turtle exhibit and the underwater acrylic tunnel through a 750,000-gallon shark tank, where it's possible to take a dip if you're feeling brave. Naturalist presentations enhance the educational aspect (a perfect pre-dive crash course) and an excellent gift shop serves up souvenirs to tempt even the savviest visitor. Even if you don't take home anything from the gift shop, you’ll leave with plenty of lasting memories.

Review

Five family members age 6 to 76 recently visited this facility. I believe we could all give it 5 stars. The sea life was fascinating and the presentations were very good. You could take in as much or as little as you would like and with the age range this was demonstrated. To walk through the tunnel with an ocean tank surrounding you was fantastic. Several of us lingered here for quite a while as we watched huge sharks and other marine life swim over and around us.

Reviewed by: Giane on Tripadvisor.com