Thursday, July 23, 2009

The Maui Ocean Center

If you go to Maui and want to see the sea life without getting wet you have two options. You can take a submarine ride out to a reef, which is a pretty cool deal or you can go to the Maui Ocean Center. For a fee (of course) you can get into the only aquarium on Maui and see everything you would see in the ocean on a scuba or snorkeling excursion.

Actually, you will see more because it is all right there and you don’t have to hope that you are diving in the right spot at the right time. The Maui Ocean Center has several open tanks for some of it’s sea life such as the sea turtle (honu in Hawaiian) which allow you a very up close and personal view.


The aquarium is probably the only place you will get a close up view of the state fish, the humuhumunukunukuapua’a. Are you wondering how to pronounce that name? You break it down into syllables; humu-(hoomoo) humu-nuku-(nookoo) nuku-a-pu-a-a. Now, three times real fast! These suckers are fast and are even hard to get a shot of in the aquarium! (That's why you don't see one here, mine all came out blurry) You will also see all of the other sea creatures such as sharks, jelly fish, stingrays and a myriad of other fish.

If you go to the aquarium they offer a gadget you can carry along with you that tells you where you are and what you are looking at at any given spot within the Ocean Center. This of course costs extra and really isn’t worth the extra money unless you have kids with you.

Be sure to hit the gift shop before you leave for the obligatory t-shirt or hat. I think the gift shop is almost as big as the aquarium and if you go in there with kids you will be in trouble! They will want everything. About half of what the gift shop has is centered around kids so get ready to heat up the credit card. I didn't have any kids with me but I did have my wife. She wanted to buy things for the kids and grandkids. It might have been easier if the kids were there! LOL

The Maui Ocean Center is definitely worth a stop while you are on Maui if you have the time. I don’t know that it is something you would go back to time and time again but it is worth seeing at least once.

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