What a surprise gem! the flow through the aquariums and exhibits is seamless and natural. I cannot believe the variety of fish we could see up close and personal! You can read and learn as much or little as you want, and there are many interactive exhibits that captivate the kids. They even have a "playland" to get their jiggles out! The culmination in the domed theater was MAGICAL. We truly felt like we were in the ocean with the majestic humpback whales! I suggest you visit the Ocean Center BEFORE you go on a whale-watching cruise, because this experience will give you a close up view of the whales' world and make it almost personal.

We had a fantastic experience with Paul! We did our snorkeling in the early morning calm and due to a late cancellations we had a private tour! The reefs are right off the beach where we started and we followed a sand path to a spot where we saw at least 4 green sea turtles. Paul , a marine biologist, was extremely knowledgeable and pointed out the different reefs and fish along the way. Paul took some fantastic pictures which he shared after our trip. All in all a great experience and highly recommend.

Worth every penny! My 15 year old did the experience “snorkel with a marine biologist” and had an amazing time. It is a small group experience and the guide was so kind and reassuring with everyone in the group which was a wide variety of ages and swim abilities. He was awesome. I had looked at doing one of the cruise boats that snorkel but I loved the idea of supporting Māui Ocean Center and ensuring my daughter was being taught how to responsibly snorkel in the ocean! Plus the bonus of the small group experience. Her smile coming back to shore was priceless. Paul was great at communicating where and when to meet and was considerate of the weather conditions to ensure we had a great experience. Definitely recommend!!!

We did the Snorkel with a Marine Biologist Tour. This trip was one of the top five adventures of my life! We were new to snorkeling but myself, my wife and 11 year old daughter are all strong swimmers. Paul is amazing! He was incredibly knowledgable about the reef, and its inhabitants. He set a tone of respect for the place we were exploring and encouraged our curiosity all while making sure our group was having fun. My daughter was really hopeful that we would see sea turtles and he set expectations that the turtles are wild animals and nothing is guaranteed, while letting her know that he would be really excited to show her sea turtles if the opportunity presented itself. What resulted was a magical introduction to snorkeling and the underwater world of the reef… including hanging out with some sea turtles. Thank you to Paul for an unforgettable experience and the Maui Ocean Center for helping us to find this tour. Stop thinking about it and sign up now!

We did the behind the scenes tour and it was well worth it! We were able to feed the sea turtles and sharks while learning so much about the marine life! I would recommend seeing the 3D humpback whale exhibit before leaving because it was a breathtaking once in a lifetime experience!

We stopped on our last day in Maui as we needed to spend a few hours before heading to the airport. You have to pay for parking but there was plenty of parking available. The aquarium is I would say on the smaller side compared to others I’ve been to but it was worth the stop. It is right on the water so you have beautiful views. There are a few different exhibits (living reef, Hawaiians and the seas, open ocean) and things you can do. We walked around looked at different fish/sharks and coral, saw sea turtles and watched the Humpbacks 3D sphere. There is a place to eat (I didn’t get anything) and a gift shop. Overall this takes 2-3 hours depends on how much you want to read and how long you look at things.

We had a wonderful time, very friendly staff especially Dan who showed and explained many things to our two kids. It was cool to see a tiger shark in the large tank. We were seriously impressed by the 3D whale movie. Would highly recommend, especially the interactions with the staff who were engaging, helpful and friendly.