Maui Ocean Center

The fish get three stars, can’t say the same for the people that work there. Let’s just start by saying an adult ticket is almost $ 30, and children are almost $ 20; seems a bit high but I’m just some tourist so…
By the way, after you buy your tickets don’t even waste your time posing for the «complementary» photo souvenir; unless you view the term complementary as purchasing $ 50 – 75 worth of superimposed junk. As you walk out of the aquarium you stop at a booth where they find your photo from earlier, place it in a frame and then ask you for $ 20. They have smaller photos too, another $ 20. If you want some cheap frame for it, that’s another $ 20. When I asked what part was «complementary» and joked «the taking of the picture» the attendants agreed, the process/​experience of having your picture taken is free, the photos are not. After a bewildered look from the guy, we left. One star for that guy.
The fish were pretty cool. My infant loved standing right up on the glass and gazing. Most exhibits are very accessible and kids are able to get a good look. Gift shop workers were nice, three stars for them. Not necessary to return; not sure what you would ever purchase a membership or long term pass. Check Maui Ocean Center off the list, done.

Very nice aquarium center and what made me like this place more was that they were offering a free whole week pass! So we get to go back on the day that we fly back home and spend time there instead of hanging out at the airport. My baby loved seeing the fish (they have really cool ones, unicorn fish, giant fish etc) and other sea creatures.

Definitely better than the Waikiki Aquarium and more to look at. Loved the shark tank! Had a ray come say hello to us too. Decently priced for one of the top 25 aquariums in the world.

This was a depressing experience and was by far the worst aquarium I’ve ever been to. I’m upset that I gave this place my money to further prolong the suffering and depressing conditions these poor animals are in. Dirty tanks, dirty glass, poor environments, outdated and uncared for exhibits, just all around sad and disappointing. I’m sorry animals, I gave these people my money and didn’t break you out instead.
If you want to be depressed for the remainder of the day, this is the place for you.

My husband and I did this on the recommendation of the concierge at our hotel. They had a promo for a 2 for 1 so we decided to go for it since we had gotten a good deal. The center is really neat and you get to see quite a few things that you might not see in the ocean. And neither one of us is good in the water so this was a good chance for us to see fish, turtles, sharks etc… that we otherwise wouldn’t have seen. They take your picture when you walk in that you can later purchase for $ 20, a restaurant and a gift shop that is pretty impressive.

The Maui Ocean Center is what other aquariums should strive to be. My wife and I had a wonderful afternoon spent at the center. We left with a lot of newfound appreciation and knowledge.
The center has a huge parking lot and some neighboring businesses. The line to purchase tickets moved quickly and we were offered audio guides for a nominal fee that we passed on.
Unlike most other aquatic centers we have been to, they seem to do the best job of recreating the proper environment for all of the beautiful specimens on display. Additionally they do a number of great things such as releasing the sea turtles when they are old enough to fend for themselves and pumping in ocean water so they are in the proper conditions.
I have a couple of aquariums at home and love fish. They have a number of beauties on display and we left having had a fun filled afternoon. We will definitely make it a point to return here to see what they have on display next time we are in town.

This is a really awesome aquarium. You can see all the fish you would see snorkeling, only better. Great for young kids who wouldn’t get a chance to snorkle. We loved it!

Maui Ocean Center is conveniently found under the lady’s chin, sorta halfway between Lahaina and Kahului Airport off of Honoapiilani Hwy. The center it is in is pretty large and there are piers and restaurants around it for tourists getting on and off boats.
The parking lot is huge and I’ve never had any problems finding parking in this center.
The Ocean Center has a shuttle that can pick up and drop you off for a fee, but I am sure your hotels could do so too… for a tip.
The line to get your tickets is not that long and since we are in Hawaii, the hospitality is STRONG! If you have questions, the workers will answer you with the utmost patience with no hint at all that it is time for you to move on.
You have to pay extra for the audio guides.
There is a Scavenger Hunt to keep the kids engaged. There is a sheet of paper where they need to collect all the stone rubbings scattered throughout the center.
They have Hawaiian green sea turtles on display… So many of them too!
They have a section on the Hawaiian culture. We learned a lot about how Hawaiians relate to the ocean, the sea, its inhabitants. Their spiritual, cultural and environmental connection to the sea. Very educational.
They have live corals in their display. Don’t know if they rescued these corals from somewhere or they cut these out themselves, but they are out on displayso you can see what they look like. It is a very good section that educated us on the different types of corals.
They have a large tank full of different kinds of sharks. I am impressed by how many sharks they have in there.
The tide pool is ALWAYS a hit with the kids.
The underwater tunnel is swarming with sting rays and sharks. VERY impressive. You could tell by how many people enter and refuse to leave.
The gift shop is large and impressive. The t-​shirts they sell are actual shirts that you will not be embarrassed to wear back home. Good quality and great design. There are MANY different kinds of souvenirs and local products available and for sale here including Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm products.
This aquarium might not be the biggest but it achieved its purpose very effectively and in depth: present Hawaiian marine life and Hawaiian people attitude towards the ocean and marine life.

Not a bad place to spend a few hours and learn about the surrounding marine life. They had some really informative staff explaining the exhibits. $ 27.95 for adults and one of the cheaper things to do in Maui. Great for kids and they have turtles!

A couple of things first. Makes a decent place for families to stop with kids if the hotels aren’t checking you in early. It’ll be in and out of here within maybe 2 hours. $ 28ish per adult, family pricing is unknown since I didn’t ask (sorry!)
The good:
a nice detour heading to Kihei, easy to get to with plenty of parking. Lots of interactive stuff for kids to gawk over, a very large gift /​souvenir shop, and fish to see. They even have some sea turtles on display (but i recommend snorkeling out in ‘turtle town «to see them in their natural state.
The bad:
A little pricey for being so small… Sidenote — I’m used to the Monterey Bay Aquarium which offers magnificent, well maintained, and natural appearing habitat. This place had large blue tanks with maaaaybe gravel on the bottom. Maybe… Also, the indoor exhibits are limited, mostly outdoor stuff and not a good refuge if it’s raining.
The ugly:
handprints all over the glass, unnatural habitat, and veeerrry limited (scant creatures) tide pools. It also has a well manicured gift shop which I bet makes up for a lot of their profits. There’s jewelry, home items, shirts et al. Wish they took the energy and fixed the habitat first, then I would have maybe bought a souvenir. Meh.
I also didn’t have kids so that may have marred the experience, or made it better depending on your outlook, but once is enough for me.

My son loved it. I took him on their 18^th anniversary when it was free for all kids, (never doing that again). But he was able to to actually see all their features this time around and did some activities. We were able to feel some starfish and vanna (not sure if I spelled dat right) and sea cucumbers. We loved the hammerhead sharks and the stingrays.
There are alot of parking but on events such as their recent 18^th anniversary, parking is slim and far. It was if the whole island was there. Regardless tho, we had fun.

Not worth the price. For $ 30 we were expecting a much larger aquarium. We finished going through the aquarium in less than two hours and we already took our time.
No doubt there are a lot of pretty tropical fish, fatass tuna, and hammerhead sharks. But dolphins and whales are not allowed in capitivity so that sucks.
We did see some juvenile sea turtles and a diving exhibit where the diver taught us about the sharks.
To be honest, you’ll have a better experience just snorkeling off the coast.

I LOVE the Ocean Center ! Lots of really interesting exhibits and information. I love the Tide pool. Really interesting for kids (and big kids like me) to see and touch the marine life. Turtle Lagoon is fun. I always plan our visit in the morning to see the turtles get fed. My favorite is the Open Ocean. So much fun to see and you can spend a lot of time watching and if you get there at 11;00 or 3;00 they feed the Sting Rays LOVE IT !!! We come every Christmas to see Scuba Claus feed the Sting Rays (like I said big kid) ! The 54 foot clear acrylic tunnel is very cool ! They have a nice gift shop and restaurant on property too. Great place anytime but if its overcast or rainy a nice place to spend the day.

My husband and I took my mom, dad, brother and five year old son here today. I prepaid for our tickets online, so I have access to the aquarium all week. I also paid for the Fins and Flippers tour, which was worth the fee that charge for the one hour tour!
Overall this aquarium has been well kept (we visited 5 years ago, and it looks just as good today as it did then). The way you venture through the facility is pretty easy to follow. And it is a nice blend of outdoor and indoor exhibits. We live close to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and although I love that aquarium for many reasons, this smaller aquarium is better in the sense that you do not need to battle the crowds. My son had a really good time looking at all the tanks, and the few activities they had out he also enjoyed. We spent a leisurely 1.5 hours going through the museum and having a snack before starting the 11:30am Fins and Flippers tour.
Although I was already liking my time at the aquarium, what put the experience over the top was the Fins and Flippers tour. The tour starts off with a few introductions, then you head back to their «wet room». There, Jennifer taught and showed us several things. We learned about their corals, brine shrimp, and got to see baby and slightly older jellyfish. She even scooped out a Moon Jellyfish for us to touch. She was also very good with all of my son’s questions!
After the wet room, we went to a shaded outdoor area where we got to meet some baby sea turtles up close. I loved how they repurposed a wood pallet into a near mini staircase/​standing platform for little ones so parents don’t have to hold them up to see the turtles. We spent a good amount of time with the turtles and we learned a lot. After that, the later part of our tour was spent feeding the turtles, and later the sharks, in the exhibit areas. The tour was fantastic, and if you have the time, I’d highly recommend it — it was great for our son as well as for all the adults following him around!

My husband is a big fan of aquariums and, while this isn’t as impressive as the one you’ll see in Boston, it’s a nice way to spend a few hours. We got through the center in about 3 hours, actively reading the information provided and attending two presentations. The Maui Ocean Center is very kid-​friendly; my background is in elementary education, so I was pretty impressed with the displays and how the center has actively tried to engaged little ones. There are plenty of buttons to push that provide short amounts of information your kiddos can remember and fun little games.
We attended two presentations that were between 5 – 10 minutes long. Again, this is great for small children or even adults that just can’t pay attention for more than a few minutes at a time. The first presentation was a shark tank dive, which was pretty cool! The scuba diver in the tank talked with us about the different fish and sharks in the tank and even fed a few of the manta rays. *Note* They also mentioned that you can dive in the tank as well! You do need to be scuba certified and be at least 15 years old. It sounds like an amazing experience. There was a member in the audience that did it and he said it was incredible.* The other presentation was about the deep ocean fish. We learned about how the center acquired their coral, the different «jobs» some of the fish have, and how they are a catch-​and-​release program!
You’ll see plenty of sharks, octopi, turtles, starfish, jellyfish, and big and small Hawaiian fish. There are no grand exhibits as Hawaii law forbids the keeping of some of the larger animals you might expect, like whales, dolphins, and seals.
All in all, I think this is a good place to spend a few hours. It is relatively pricey in my opinion ($ 27.95); Boston charges about the same and there is much more to see. However, it’s still worth a look.

Maui Ocean Center is a great attraction on the island of Maui for so many different reasons! TIP TIP TIP ** most airports/​travel agencies have coupons for this place; make sure to look for one. **
Maui Ocean Center is a great option if you aren’t able to fully enjoy the hikes, for us we have little ones, so this was perfect. The price is reasonable to get in, and the staff is very friendly! What I really liked is how organized they are – you get a list of the shows/​demos that they do, unless you are going to divert to one of those, you can explore the entire center in a linear fashion, and each area feeds into the next. So you can explore exhibits that relate to one area of the ocean, and the next area will be something that is related.
The highlight of this aquarium was the underground viewing areas of the large tanks, you can explore in a tunnel that is under this massive tank full of sharks, dolphins, and other sea life. The demos are relatively short, but very thorough/​kid– friendly. I also loved the view of the Ma’alaea harbor, the view is breath-​taking.
You can explore this entire center in 2 – 3 hours easily, and they have restaurants on site as needed. This aquarium isn’t as big as Boston or Monterey; I would compare this to Long Beach. Worth a visit if you are in the area!
#7/​2016

Super fun place to take the family! So much to see and do here.
Located in windy Ma’alaea. The second windiest Harbor in the world. Did you know that? You learned something new today. This ocean center is very well-​maintained and is full of ocean based knowledge. Want to see a shark show? See jelly fish gracefully swim in the blacklight? See a wall of colorful fish? This and more is at the MOC.
Make sure to bring your camera as you will have lots of photo opportunities everywhere. Kids seem to benefit from having a stroller and all the viewing spaces at the MOC can accommodate a stroller. I’d also recommend wearing shorts or capris as dresses can go crazy with the wind here.
One of my favorite things to do there is watch the diver swimming with the sharks. It’s intense and so fun to see the Sharks close up. It’s about a 20 minute presentation and the viewers learn a lot about shark life along with other fish in the sea. At the end of the presentation the audience is allowed to ask a few questions to the diver.
I just have to mention how cool it is to see the tube of jellyfish. They move in such a way that it makes me want to touch them. But you can’t touch them. And you don’t want to.
There is a small café on site with pretty good food. There’s also a gift shop filled with tons of really nice souvenirs and gifts for yourself or to give away.
If you are looking to stay cool on a hot day or escape the rain wherever you are, make a trip over to the Maui Ocean Center. Enjoy those jellyfish!

3.5 stars
Nice facility with plenty of parking. 25 $ for each adult ticket which is average for most aquariums. They have a small turtle and hammerhead section, a small tidal pool you can touch starfish and other sea anemone, a shark and jelly fish tunnel, and another fish tunnel.
You can probably go through the whole aquarium is about 2 hrs if you spend some time reading the information and listening to some of the presentations.
Wish the center was a bit bigger but it served its purpose for us. We checked out of our hotel at noon and then hung out here for 2 hrs and then headed to the airport for our flight at 3:30. Overall, this is probably better for older people or people with kids. It’s definitely a one time only event. Not many reason to come back here a second visit but glad we visited.

We went here mainly for my hubby’s little niece (she’s 3 almost 4) but I’m gonna rate a 3 star for this place because it wasn’t impressive.
Entrance was like $ 26/​person and children were $ 19 ish (can’t remember the prices well but they were quite expensive). Anyways, we went in and saw sharks and different types of fish.
The kids get this coloring thing where they have to locate all these rocks to get a completion stamp which was nice because it gives them something to do while looking at fishies. Just wish they would give the kids something free and not just a completion stamp after what we paid but oh well…
The aquarium was nice (the one where it was big and wraps around this room where you walk through this tunnel) and we saw some sharks. But I guess I’m comparing it with the seattle aquarium… Dunno, for the price we paid, it didn’t impress me as much. Maybe I had higher expectations. I just felt like I was seeing the same fishes again but in different areas.
So it was alright for me.

Reasonable aquarium with good tank displays. A lot of sharks and stingrays in their tunnel walk through which was great.
I’d say there are there are other aquariums similar — such as the Long Beach Aquarium and the Aquarium by the Bay in San Francisco.
Still, it’s worth a visit if you have time (and kids).