Great for the Family - This visit was well worth it for just the Humpback Whale immersive exhibit and Sphere experience but there is more to see and learn about (Sea Turtles, the history of Kaho'olawe and the work for its restoration, the underwater tunnel). Something for everyone.

Would go again - Amazing, travelled Nov 2023 for a wedding stopped here, excellent, saw sharks and turtles, and history of the island - would go again

Informative, Fun, Delicious (the lunch) - We spent a full day at the Maui Ocean Center and learned so much about the sealife in the South Pacific, conservation efforts and the pollution and indifference that is causing so much harm to our world. We bought the package that included general admission, a set Chef's menu at Seascape and Behind the Scenes looking at the research and conservation efforts. If you've watched "Finding Nemo", every fish there could be seen here. Parking was tricky and I ended up having to call to pay by cc. QR code didn't work for us. We made reservations for lunch at 11am in order to give us time to get to our 1:30pm tour. This was a good move as it was full by 12 noon with a waiting list. We arrived at 10am which gave us just enough time to see the Reef Exhibit. The day we were there was very hot and windy. Apparently, this is the 2nd windiest harbor in the world. The Reef exhibits had a/c as did the 3D whale theatre and gift shop. Everything else is outside and open. Our lunch at the Seascape restaurant was superb. We had a green salad with papaya vinaigrette, opakapaka fillet on pumpkin puree with squash & potatoes and a uli uli cake slice for dessert. I wouldn't have picked any of the latter two because I didn't recognize the names. Opakapaka is a type of snapper and uli uli is Hawaii's famous breadfruit. It was delicious. Seascape was awarded platinum status due to its ability to use only sustainable ingredients. While there were lots of children who enjoyed the visual sight of the exhibits, if one took the time to read all the descriptions, information and history, there was a lot to learn and digest. The Maui Ocean Center, along with it's Oahu and Big Island counterparts have done so much to change government laws and policies. The fact that there is a safe conservation zone of several thousand miles square plus changes to the use of plastic and fish nets that cause damage, pain and death, speaks to the good work of these scientists. The Behind the Scene tour took us to a coral "Ark" where the attempt to grow, breed and distribute endangered coral species has been underway for years. We fed small pieces of squid to coral and were amazed to see them open their mouths and ingest. Our tour guide also told us of the turtle hospital where the injured were brought, healed and released back into the ocean. We fed the sea turtles who were much faster in the water than on land. In fact, they can move at 50 mph in the water. The center is proud of its filtration system that brings sea water in for their exhibits and animals, but pumps it back out clean. They do this for millions of galloons a day. The 3D humpback whale presentation used to be an extra charge but is now included in the admission. It's only 15 mins where one sits and absorbs the silent movements of these gentle giants while listening to their mournful sound. A little bit of narration told us of their habits, mating and caring for their young. As it was 3D, we felt close enough to touch. We would liked to have had a longer video, but understood this was already amazing footage. The only part we didn't do due to time was the horticultural walk. Perhaps next time.

Well worth the drive - The 3D whale experience was amazing. Beautiful complex. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable. We learned a lot.

A wonderful way to experience the sealife - This is a wonderful aquarium that really gives you a great insight into the coral reefs and native seaside. It’s nicely laid out so you take a journey through different levels of coral life reflecting the depths of sea around you. Then you have turtle pools and nursery pools and a wonderful shark tank and walk through tunnel. The 3D sphere shows a film about the humpback whales and through that you get closer to them than you ever could in reality. The cafe is clean and caters well for snacks and ice creams. The restaurant looks fabulous and the shop is one of the nicest I’ve see at any museum/zoo/aquarium. It’s great to know that they are active in supporting the coral and seaside around the island too.

The Shark dive was AMAZING!! - My 14 year old son got his scuba diving certification and we did the shark dive. The dive master John was very nice, knowledgeable and even gave us a back tour of their reproduction and rehabilitation areas. We didn't know what to expect, but soon learned we were going to be freely open diving with the sharks circling. There were Reef, tiger, white sharks and even a Hammerhead shark. Other various fish, sea horses, star fish and a 12 wide manta provided a beautiful visual symphony which is now definitely an experience of a lifetime! The dive master helped us find shark teeth which made for great souvenirs. Make sure to bring a towel and dry clothes to change into. When we were done we met up with Dad and sister and toured the rest of the center which was very clean and impressive.

Great ocean life viewing experience! - Had a great experience at the Maui Ocean Center. Lot’s of great exhibits. Very educational. I would recommend this for anyone traveling to Maui. Especially those with children.

Fantastic - What a fantastic interactive pro-conservation pro-restoration facility! Lots to see, explore, and learn. The 3D sphere experience was awesome.

Love the Open Ocean Tunnel - Decided to visit on a cool, windy day. Some trouble paying for parking as it can only be done by smart phone, but fortunately the young parking attendant helped us. We started with the Humpbacks of Hawaii in the 3D sphere - it was interesting, but would have been a lot better if my 3D glasses had actually worked. I did get a couple of peeks using my husband's. We tried to stop for lunch at the Seascape Restaurant but turned out to be an hour wait, so made do with the little Reef Cafe. They had very little food left by lunchtime. My husband took the very last sandwich, all the pizza was gone, so I got a hotdog. The 2 staff seemed overwhelmed. We sat on the patio, but it was so windy everything was blowing away. Enjoyed the Aquarium, so many gorgeous fish and lovely coral, although it was quite crowded that day, I guess due to the weather. The Hawaiians and the Sea was good, and especially liked the Open Ocean Tunnel with the sharks and Rays. Finished up in the Maui Ocean Treasures Gift Shop, which has a great selection of items.

Gone Cashless👎 - The aquarium is amazing they've done a great job and I would recommend but their move to Cashless ruined the whole day for us. Our cards won't work here and they would not accept anything but cards. Thank goodness we were with someone else who had a card that did but having to ask someone else to pay for your day was ridiculous and embarrassing. Then we were told don't worry the restaurant and shop take cash. Nope after we ate had to ask for help to pay for our meal again and theirs. My kids couldn't shop at the gift shop either. For a place that's supposed to be about nature and conservation I was disgusted with the heavy push for plastic that just makes the makes banks money with all the transaction fees. The amount they send off to the banks for transaction fees could be given back to ocean inititiatives instead of just throwing it away. Too bad it was a neat place but we won't be visiting again until policies like this change.