You should not dream of leaving Maui without spending at least a few hours at the Maui Ocean Center, Hawaii’s amazing cutting-edge 3 acre aquarium which also happens to be the largest tropical aquarium in the entire United States! The Maui Ocean Center on Ma’alaea Bay deserves its favorable comparison to California’s spectacular Monterey Aquarium. Known simply as ” the Hawaiian Aquarium,” the Maui Ocean Center has over 60 active exhibits, including a touching pool where you can have a one-on-one encounter with magnificent sea stars and curious helmet shells.
Visit the Maui Ocean Center
One star exhibit at the Maui Ocean Center, however, is the coral display, which also happens to be the largest of its kind in the United States. Called “The Living Reef”, it contains displays of all forms of Hawaii’s coral, from those which live in the shallows of the rocky surge zone to those which inhabit the waters of the deep reef. You’ll be astonished and delighted with the fantastic shapes, textures, and colors of these mysterious animals!
Like its coral, all the marine creatures living in the Maui Ocean Center are native to Hawaii, and that includes the marine plants. A visit to the Ocean Center is as close as you can get, without getting completely soaked, to having personal encounters with all of these wonderful life forms. Graceful octopi, stingrays, and moray eels; magnificent sharks and green sea turtles; bizarre sea jellies and dazzling tropical fish are all waiting for your admiration.
Because the Maui Ocean Center believes in letting its inhabitants live in as natural an environment as possible, there are no scheduled feeding times or shells like you’ll find at other aquariums. But you’ll still enjoy presentations scheduled throughout the day during which experts on different aspects of the aquarium’s exhibits will be happy to answer your questions.
The highlight of your visit to the Maui Ocean Center is certain to be your trip through the 54-foot-long tunnel of the 750,000 gallon Open Ocean saltwater aquarium. Almost 2000 fish, as well as countless stingrays, turtles, and sharks will be watching you with as much interest as you watch them. Only the acrylic walls of the tunnel will come between you.. It’s a great place to retreat to should you get caught in one of Maui’s afternoon rainstorms!
The Maui Ocean Center, however, has plenty of outdoor attractions as well. Both the Turtle Lagoon and Hammerhead Harbor will let you enjoy Maui’s sunshine while you’re visiting the aquarium, which is situated in a complex of shops and restaurants. For a quick bite, you can grab a sandwich or salad at the Reef Café. If you’re ready for something with a gourmet flair, opt for the Seascape Ma’alaea restaurant with its breathtaking views of the ocean and the Maui coastline, with Haleakala looming in the distance.
Finally, pick up a souvenir of your happy outing at the Maui Ocean Center Store, with its terrific selection of ocean themed clothes, toys, art and home decor, and jewelry. If you’re a real connoisseur, you can also find museum-quality items here! A trip to the Maui Ocean Center is guarunteed to leave you with fond memories of Maui.
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