Maui Ocean Center

About

Maui Ocean Center, also known as the Aquarium of Hawaii, sits in Maalaea, on Maui's south shore between Kihei and Wailuku. The main exhibit is a 750,000-gallon open-ocean tank with an acrylic tunnel that visitors walk or wheel through while hammerhead sharks and stingrays pass overhead. The facility also runs about 40 interactive stations and roughly 60 exhibits on Hawaiian reef life, along with a Humpbacks of Hawaii sphere experience included in admission.

Most visitors move through the galleries at their own pace over two to three hours, since there is no fixed tour route through the main exhibits. An optional Behind the Scenes Tour adds close-up time in working animal-care areas, but it crosses uneven floors and asks manual wheelchair users to bring their own attendant.

As of August 2026, the center opens daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with last entry at 4 p.m. Parking is in the lot directly in front of the building. Non-resident visitors pay $3 an hour through a QR-code system on-site, and Hawaii residents with valid ID get up to five hours free. Members who register a vehicle with the center park in a separate members' lot at no charge.

Maalaea sits roughly halfway between Kahului and Kihei, so the aquarium works as a stop on the way to either town. The highway continues west from Maalaea toward Lahaina and the West Maui resort areas, so many visitors fold the stop into a longer drive in that direction. The small harbor next door runs whale-watching and snorkel boats in season, and a few restaurants and shops sit along the same stretch of highway.

Accessibility

Maui Ocean Center is wheelchair accessible in its main exhibit halls. The center does not publish specifics like entrance width, ramp grade, or door dimensions, so call ahead if you need exact measurements.

Handicapped parking slots are located in the lot directly in front of the building. Inside, pathways are described as flat throughout the galleries, and the signature feature, an acrylic tunnel through the 750,000-gallon open-ocean tank, is wide enough to wheel through while sharks and rays pass overhead. Accessible restrooms are on site.

The center loans complimentary wheelchairs at check-in on a first-come, first-served basis, and availability is limited, so arrive early if you need one. Service dogs trained to perform a task for a disability are welcome; the center follows the ADA definition and does not treat emotional-support animals as service animals. Strollers are not available to rent, which matters if you are traveling with a child who also needs a wheeled seat.

For accommodations outside the main galleries, call 808-270-7000 before your visit. The optional Behind the Scenes Tour, which adds close-up time in working animal-care areas, crosses uneven floors and asks manual wheelchair users to bring their own attendant, so it takes more planning than the standard visit.

Checked by Accessible America, August 2026. Report a change

More accessible places in Hawaii

• Iao Valley State Monument (Wailuku)
• Bishop Museum (Honolulu)
• Foster Botanical Garden (Honolulu)
• ʻIolani Palace (Honolulu)
• Dole Plantation (Wahiawa)
• Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hilo)

Photo credits

• Maui Ocean Center's entrance building and sign sit behind palm trees and a paved walkway.: Richard N Horne, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
• The Maui Ocean Center entrance with signage, solar panel roof, and a level paved walkway.: Richard N Horne, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
• Visitors walk through Maui Ocean Center's acrylic tunnel as fish and rays swim overhead.: Richard N Horne, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
• Visitors walk through a wide, flat underwater viewing tunnel with sharks and fish overhead.: Richard N Horne, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
• Children and an adult look into the outdoor tide pool exhibit surrounded by rocks and plants.: Richard N Horne, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)