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.