Don't miss the Maui Ocean Center. This is the best aquarium that we've been to so far. We usually take a trip to the aquariums during our trips.

They have a feeding time for the rays, sharks, etc. and you can actually watch the divers feed the creatures.

What’s here to see? Moray eels, an octopus, sea turtles, jellyfish, sharks, rays, a touch pool, and much, much more. Expect to spend 1-2 hours here. Bring sun tan lotion, as the Maui Ocean Center has both indoors and outdoor exhibits. This is always one of the highlights of our visits. We love aquariums and so does our son.

Other highlights:
Be sure to find out what time the divers will be in the Open Ocean tank, as they feed the rays and fish, and can take questions from the visitors. The Open Ocean Tank also has a glass tunnel, and there will usually be a ray above you or a shark below you. Very cool.

If you miss that, see if you can find out when a diver will be in the shark tank inside the "Living Reef " building. They hand-feed the sharks and clean the tank.

We haven’t ever taken the self-guided audio tour ($5 per person), but it seems very popular, especially if you wish to learn more and no naturalists nearby.

Skip the restaurant and café. Better choices await you in the nearby mall.

The gift shop is pretty great, with lots of items for kids - jewelry, books, stuffed animals, toys. We bought a very nice quality wonderful Marine-life coloring book for 4 bucks.

Save money:
Military and senior discounts available.
Best deal for 2 visits - the Malama ‘Aina Return Pass. For a $5 donation benefiting non-profit groups, you get an unlimited 30-day return pass.
Best deal for 3+ visits - the annual membership. It’s priced at $37.50 for adults, and $25.50 for kids.
If you visit only once, they have combo deals with the Sugar Cane Train, the Pacific Whale Foundation, and others. Ask.
Also, if you are a Hawaiian Miles member, they offer 10 miles per $ spent. Ask when purchasing.

Proudly celebrating its fifth anniversary, the Maui Ocean Center is the largest tropical reef aquarium in the Western Hemisphere with a 750,000 gallon salt water aquarium, the largest in the state, and a 50-foot long acrylic tunnel that provides a 240-degree view of nearly 2,000 fishes.

The exhibits have been created in conjunction with Hawaiian cultural representatives and are presented from the perspective of the Hawaiian's philosophy and highly developed respect for aqua-ecology, or "kapu." In the Hawaiian exhibits you will learn the history of the evolution of this "science" and the seemingly innate sense that the ancient ocean caretakers had toward protecting and preserving their ocean bounty.

The Turtle Lagoon provides an opportunity to watch the giant sea turtles, or honu as they glide past the glass just inches from your wondering eyes. In the Discovery Pool, visitors are invited to carefully reach into the waters and touch the, sea urchins, mollusks, sea cucumbers and maybe even a hermit crab. The Sting Ray Cove directs visitors to a slightly underground viewing section where sun-shy rays are easily observed. The Living Reef exhibit elucidates the unique ecology of Hawaii and explains the reason Hawaii is home to such an enormous and varied collection of marine life.

In the main exhibit hall, the center holds a vast collection of aquariums filled with more exotic and colorful fish than any snorkel or scuba trip could promise. The Open Ocean exhibits demonstrate the various underwater landscapes that make up the world under the sea. From its giant caverns of dappled light to the coral reefs to the great open ocean where creatures live without protection or sunlight, the Ocean Center offers examples of all these forms of sea life from shark to sponge. The ethereal and surreal jellyfish tank, a circular freestanding structure shrouded in blue light and filled with thousands of floating, pulsating creatures, is a sight not soon to be forgotten.

But the biggest source of pride and interest at the Maui Ocean Center is the Whale Discovery Center. Here, you will follow the journey of a young whale's migration from the summer waters of Alaska to the warm Maui winters. Did you know that mother whales do not eat the entire season they are in Maui? That every whale has a unique fin like a human handprint? If you were a whale, how long would it take you to make the journey from Alaska? You can test yourself and see on an interactive peddling machine. With the help of the exhibits and interactive games, you will have a pretty good idea before your visit ends of the challenges and behavior patterns of Maui's most famous winter visitors.

During the rest of your stay in Maui as you spot the whales at sea, you will now recognize a breach from a slap, and feel an even closer kinship with the magnificent creatures that never cease to amaze and intrigue.

The Maui Ocean Center is an aquarium opened in 1998 on the south edge of Maui's central valley, adjacent to Maalaea Harbor. There are wonderful exhibits of live fish, sharks, turtles, rays, and other sea creatures. They also have a very good seafood restaurant called the Seascape Restaurant open for lunch and dinner. (But it always seems strange to me to celebrate the beauty of the sea creatures and then to eat them.) It takes about 2 hours to tour all the exhibits, both indoors and out.

LOTS more information about Maui sights, activities, restaurants, hotels and more at
www.mauihawaii.org