Maui > Activities > Maui Ocean Center
About The Maui Ocean Center
Maʻalaea Harbor’s Maui Ocean Center is a must-do for Maui visitors and Hawaii residents alike.
The Maui Ocean Center has something for everyone. This editor has been to many aquarium/ocean experiences, and I can honestly say that this is my favorite. Long Beach, California has a great aquarium as well as La Jolla and Seattle, Washington.
The Maui Ocean Center is special. Put aside the fact that they have a 750,000-gallon shark tank with over 20 lively sharks, and you still have one of the best aquarium experiences on the globe. One of the many exhibits they have here is a 360-degree tank with glowing jellyfish.
Maui Ocean Center Facility
In the outdoor area of the Maui Ocean Center, you’ll find multiple pools for touching and interacting with the sea life including local sea turtles. During the winter season, you can be touching a starfish and watch a humpback whale in the near distance outside of the harbor. Everything swimming around and in the Maui Ocean Center is from Hawaiian waters.
Children get as much of a kick out of going here as do adults. They even offer overnight sleepovers for groups interested in watching the nocturnal behavior of the sharks and other ocean life. The shark tank holds over 20 sharks including a Tiger shark! The tank also has a long glass tunnel which you can walk through and watch the enormous stingrays, huge tropical fish, and graceful sharks swim overhead. For the adventurous, you can even dive into the tank for a price.
SHARKS!!
Tiger Sharks are common in Hawaiian waters, but are rarely seen and seldom attack humans. Seeing one among other sealife is really exhilarating. The tank also holds many other sharks like reef sharks. These Maui sharks are smaller than tigers. All of these sharks are nocturnal, so if you get a chance to see them at night, you’re in for a treat. The giant stingrays are also nocturnal and usually only feed at night. These graceful giants are a wonderful addition to the tank and great to watch glide over you from inside the water tunnel.
Other tanks at the Maui Ocean Center hold octopus, all kinds of tropical fish, sea horses, jellyfish, hammerhead sharks, green sea turtles, and much more marine life.
Day Pass Information (as of 2022)
Adults (13-64): $39.95
Seniors (65+): $34.95
Children (4-12): $26.95
Small Children (3 and under): FREE
The Maui Ocean Center is open daily from 9 am – 5 pm (open until 6 during July & August).
Reservations are available and if you have a large group, it is advised. Call (808) 270-7000 to reserve your Maui Ocean Center tickets today!
Maʻalaea Harbor
Ma’alaea was once a prominent fishing village and a place of rest for weary travelers. This area is well known for its ʻalaea (rich, red dirt.) ʻAlaea is used to dye and added to paʻakai (sea salt) for its mineral and healing properties. Maʻalaea Harbor was constructed in 1952 and is used today by commercial and recreational boaters.
The funneling of tradewinds between Haleakala and Mauna Kahalawai (West Maui Mountains) creates some of the strongest winds on Maui. Maʻalaea Bay is home to several surfing spots including the world-famous Maʻalaea Pipeline called Freight Trains, one of the fastest breaking surfable waves in the world. This wave breaks on a very shallow reef and only breaks a few times per year.
Maui Ocean Center
192 Maalaea Rd.
Wailuku, HI 96793
Phone: 808-270-7000
The above information about Maʻalaea Harbor is used courtesy of the Maui Ocean Center.
