Maui Ocean Center, Public aquarium in Maalaea, Hawaii, US.
Maui Ocean Center is a public aquarium in Maalaea that displays thousands of living marine creatures from the Pacific Ocean. The facility shows coral reefs, sharks, sea turtles, and tropical fish across multiple tanks designed to reflect natural ocean environments.
The aquarium opened in 1998 and became one of the largest facilities of its kind in the western hemisphere. From the start, it focused on marine life from Hawaiian waters and understanding the Pacific ecosystem.
The Hawaiians and the Sea exhibit recounts how the kanaka maoli, Hawaiʻi's first people, crossed the Pacific in double-hulled canoes guided by stars. The Turtle Lagoon displays honu, the Hawaiian green sea turtle, with surface and underwater views of up to six animals at a time.
You can explore the aquarium throughout the day and should plan for at least two to three hours to see all areas. The location is easy to reach and has parking available on-site.
The center runs one of only four land-based coral nurseries in the United States, and its gene bank holds the largest collection of ocean corals in the world, with research there leading to the discovery of new coral species. Its saltwater is drawn directly from Māʻalaea Bay.
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