Maui Ocean Center on TripAdvisor’s Top 25 Best Aquariums in US List

Maui Ocean Center. Photo by Wendy Osher.

By Maui Now Staff

The Maui Ocean Center in Māʻalaea has been named among the “Top 25 Best Aquariums in the US” by TripAdvisor as part of the publication’s Travelers’ Choice Best of 2015 list.

This is the second year in a row that Maui Ocean Center has received the award, with a current ranking of 13 out of 25.

“Maui Ocean Center is thrilled,” said Kate Zolezzi, General Manager at Maui Ocean Center in a press release announcement today.

“This acknowledgement is particularly significant as it is awarded by travelers from all over the world who have been able to create memorable and lasting experiences here at the Aquarium,” said Zolezzi.

Since opening in 1998, Maui Ocean Center representatives say the Aquarium has been dedicated to showcasing the unique beauty of Hawaiʻi’s marine life and ecosystems, with each exhibit featuring animals living in closely replicated habitats of their natural environment.

A journey through the Aquarium includes encounters with live coral, Hawaiʻi reef fish, sea turtles, octopus and eels.  There’s also a 54-foot acrylic tunnel through a 750,000-gallon exhibit that guides visitors through the ocean depths, exploring the home of pelagic fish, sharks and rays.