Distrito de Conservación de Vida Marina de Waikiki

Experiencia fantástica: Waikiki Marine Life Conservation District – Where Aloha Meets Underwater Awe If you’re anywhere near Waikiki and love the ocean even a little bit, this is an absolute must. The Waikiki Marine Life Conservation District is like stepping into a natural aquarium, only better—because you’re swimming in it. This protected stretch of ocean just off Queen’s Beach and Sans Souci is bursting with life, color, and quiet energy that pulls you in and won’t let go. As soon as you slip into the water, you feel it—the calm, the clarity, the magic. No surfboards zipping past your head, no boats roaring by—just you, the reef, and an underwater world that’s been left alone to thrive. You’ll see everything from schools of yellow tangs to parrotfish munching coral like it’s a buffet. Sea cucumbers lazing on the seafloor, triggerfish darting in and out, and if you’re lucky, a sea turtle cruising by like he owns the place (because honestly, he kinda does ‍♂️). Snorkeling here is peaceful, ideal for beginners and seasoned swimmers alike. The waves are mellow, visibility is solid, and there's a spiritual kind of calm knowing you're swimming in a zone dedicated to preservation. It’s also a great reminder that Hawaiians take stewardship of the ocean seriously—and we’re just lucky to witness it. Whether you’re starting your day with a snorkel session, floating on your back listening to your heartbeat, or just sitting on the sand appreciating what this place stands for, the Waikiki Marine Life Conservation District delivers connection—not just to nature, but to the spirit of the islands. Respect the space. No touching, no chasing, no standing on the reef. Just observe, appreciate, and let the ocean work its magic. This place isn't just a destination—it's a reminder that real beauty doesn’t need to be flashy. MTC

Experiencia fantástica: Watched a rescued turtle being released back into the wild

Experiencia negativa: Took less than 10 minutes to walk through, absolutely no exhibits outside what so ever. Waste of time.

Experiencia negativa: Sorry to say but it got boring. Almost every tank has a repeat kind of fish. Barely anything to see. Once you enter they ask you to take picture and by the end of your whole adventure you get to choose between 1 photo which is $20 and the whole book which includes 3 photos for $40. It’s good to have knowledge about the marine life in Hawai’i but lower your expectations when you enter.

Experiencia fantástica: Nice place for all family; they have a big variety of marine fauna and it seems that they take well care of them :)

Experiencia fantástica: What a day, if you have a local ID card, in the military there is a lower ticket price. On the day that we were there the people from Outrigger Hotels, Board of Water Supply, and a few others provided awareness for the sea animals. The trash that has been found has tripled and it's hurting the environment. Children were encouraged to sign their names pledging to help with the environment. Stickers, shave ice and sheer enjoyment was at the Aquarium that day.

Experiencia fantástica: It was a small one but worth it

Experiencia fantástica: Very educational. Aquariums are well taken care of. The fish look happy

Experiencia fantástica: Small aquarium with a nice variety of sea life. Very clean tanks to. The jellyfish were amazing as were the Dragon seahorses. I highly recommend this aquarium!

Experiencia fantástica: A great place to take the grandkids on a rainy day. Reasonable admission- $20 US first two seniors and two kids. Nice gift shop and reachable on the bus.

Experiencia fantástica: Small, tickets are not expensive to get in. Quick visit if you need to get out of the sun or need something for the kids to hold them over until their next meal. Exhibits are nice.

Experiencia positiva: Very small aquarium setup. With how rich this island appears this place should be much larger. However they are doing the best with what they have. Unfortunately some of the corals are dying and some of the fish didn’t look so good the outside area was very cool.

Experiencia fantástica: Just a beautiful spot to relax and have some lunch or jump in to cool off

Experiencia positiva: They have some beautiful fish. Very small place ~ could easily go thru in less than an hour. They have a few empty exhibits. I didn't see any employee to answer questions along the way. Overall I enjoyed it.

Experiencia positiva: This is a small aquarium but very nice. I think everyone, especially children, will enjoy the different tanks and species. It really only takes about 30 minutes to see everything.

Experiencia fantástica: Wow, the best aquarium I have ever visited, very comfortable, not so big but it worth the quality and variety of marine specimens I never have seen in my life. I recommend it, price are very affordable

Experiencia fantástica: Nice little aquarium with difficult parking unfortunately. Worth the admission though. Shame the Mink Seals are still off exhibit.

Experiencia fantástica: Family friendly, affordable, $20 for 2 adults and a baby. Conservation oriented. Could be lots of reading, but great aquarium visibility. Very accessible with a stroller. Friendly staff.

Experiencia fantástica: Interesting place to get a glimpse of local marine life. You can cover the place at easy pace within 30-45 minutes.

Experiencia positiva: Beautiful fish, but not a large place. We spent an hour there and part of it was using the restroom and sitting on a bench outside.

Experiencia positiva: Something to kill the time. The place is interesting to visit, but it’s small, self guided tour lasts about 20 minutes. You can extend it to 40 minutes if you check for every detail and read every single bit of information.

Experiencia positiva: I like this, however it's being improved now and needs a slighten up. Currently the habitats and huge tanks are so entertaining.

Experiencia fantástica: A small but might aquarium! I grew up coming here and I still enjoy visiting. It’s one of my favorites. They have amazing exhibits and very friendly and knowledgeable staff. I highly recommended visiting during the week during the school year for a quiet visit. The price is great too. As of Oct 2023, admission for a non-Hawaiian resident was $12 and a senior was $5.

Experiencia positiva: Overall a good small activity to do, definitely more geared towards kids. One of the smallest aquariums I’ve been to but the quality animals and information they give you was nice. Unfortunately the seal habitat was under construction so we didn’t get to see them. This is an indoor outdoor aquarium

Experiencia positiva: This place looks sad and needs renovation. There's no sea lion. But very educational and good for the kids

Experiencia positiva: It’s a pretty small exhibit, however they had a variety of marine life available to view. Unfortunately the seals weren’t available to see. Definitely would recommend to come check it out.

Experiencia positiva: Got to see some fish I’d never seen before. This aquarium is very small but it’s fun.

Experiencia fantástica: Beautiful aquarium!! A lovely, quiet, peaceful experience with the family! Very affordable, in my humble opinion, especially when compared to other attractions. We started outside, but I suggest starting inside, no one said to do it either way, just my suggestion. I loved the family photo they took, and a whole book was just 39 dollars with 4 different poses, so worth it!!

Experiencia fantástica: Small but excellent aquarium...we loved our time there with my 16 yo son!

Experiencia positiva: Very small but small children will enjoy it

Experiencia positiva: Pretty small but neat to see some fish up close. Also a great way to escape the sun for a little bit. Some exhibits were closed but overall had a good time.

Experiencia fantástica: Went here with my fiance, and I am happy to have local rates. I wasn't happy with the fact I had to use my phone to download the tour guide and it was hard jumping back to camera, I found that frustrating. The tour needs to be upgraded as to the large clam that past away. And other changes in the exhibition. Other than that I had fun with my love walking around seeing the fish and other creatures. Mahalo

Experiencia positiva: I went there for the Diamond Head Luau. It was a very good luau, the food and the entertainment were great and we received free tickets to aquarium! The aquarium is small, but had many interesting sea creatures for up close viewing.

Experiencia positiva: Fairly dated establishment. Still fun to see and great for kids.

Experiencia fantástica: Cute and small! The kids loved it.

Experiencia fantástica: It was small but I enjoy the experience.

Experiencia fantástica: Always fantastic, especially for how small of a aquarium it is. Me and kiddo spend about a hour and half here each time we come.

Experiencia positiva: Small aquarium but they have some interesting sea animals.

Experiencia fantástica: Almost 120 years old with the largest coral collection in the United States. Really small but worth the admission price .

Experiencia positiva: Walkable from our hotel in Waikiki. Most outside exhibits were closed for renovations. Small aquarium but worth a look. I believe it is a not for profit organization so paying the admission was okay. And of course the Gift Shop was nice.

Experiencia positiva: Well, I actually wondered into the Aquarium. it was great for the Grandbaby. Cost is $12 for adults.

Experiencia fantástica: The Waikiki marine life conservation center was fantastic. They had a wide variety of the local fish species in the area as well as other kind of sea life. My new favorite marine animal is the sea dragon! The sea lion exhibit was drained and closed while we were there which was kind of a bummer but all together a good trip

Experiencia fantástica: We loved the aquarium. We go every time we're on Oahu. It's laid out well even though it's a bit smallish. It's very educational.

Experiencia positiva: It was nice, but small. Photos available to take, usual pricey gift shop. If ur expecting the big city aquarium, this ain't it. But it was still worth the small fee.

Experiencia positiva: Interesting small Aquarium with an amazing collection of corals. Great for kids.

Experiencia positiva: Have not been here in many, many years and I just don't remember it being soooo small. I mean, you can probably walk-thru the entire complex in about 15 minutes if you don't really stop to, as they say, "smell the roses", or at least read all the fish types. The staff though is wonderful and friendly.

Experiencia positiva: Few of the exhibits were "under construction", in that case we missed out on seeing those beautiful creatures. Other than that, the aquarium was nice too.

Experiencia positiva: Good place, but it's really small

Experiencia fantástica: Great place to visit on a rainy day. The free audio tour is a must for those life long learners.

Experiencia fantástica: The site looked underwhelming, but the close-up exhibits were great! Small and intimate. Jellyfish and dragon horses were my favorite. 2 hours parking right in the front. Good on a rainy day.

Experiencia fantástica: Awesome local aquarium! Fabulous display of local species! Great place to bring children. Cute gift shop.

Experiencia positiva: Seal exhibit was closed, so no show to put on, that would have been cool, heard great things. Great place to being young kids, the kids there were having an absolute blast on the inside exhibits. Great depth of sea life and coral. Staff was great!

Experiencia positiva: Nice. Quaint. Small. Seal exhibit was closed. Coral exhibits were impressive.

Experiencia fantástica: Had a great time here, lots of great marine like to see. The seals were not available for to construction

Experiencia fantástica: Small aquarium, but I absolutely loved it here. It think it's better than some of the bigger aquariums I've been to.

Experiencia positiva: For the price I would've thought larger and more aquariums. My Grandson had a great time so 4 stars.

Experiencia fantástica: Good selection of marine life. I found the audio tour very informative. Thrilled I found Nemo.

Experiencia positiva: It was ok, the outdoor exhibit was closed. Disappointing, that could have been listed on the website. I would definitely call before visiting if you're mainly going to see the seal as we were.

Experiencia fantástica: Beautiful little sealife center. Small but reasonably priced.

Experiencia positiva: Nice aquarium, save this for a rainy day, doesn't cost more than 12 usd. Not that big, but got some variety of fish and corals, up to you how long you want to spend looking at the different fishes. Like 20 min walk from waikiki beach and is relaxing. Seems like they have seals also but they were in California when we was there so their pool was empty.

Experiencia fantástica: Great place and staff are very friendly and knowledgeable. Lots to see.

Experiencia positiva: This is a good place to learn about marine life. It's not too expensive and kids will like it. It isn't very big, so a trip through didn't take us very long. It's quite convenient to get there from Waikiki Beach. I'd recommend it for anyone who wants to learn about the area's aquatic life, though I wouldn't quite say it's a "must-do" in Honolulu.

Experiencia fantástica: A great place to take the kids to look at aquatic life that's unique to Hawaii. The kids had a blast at the inside and outside exhibits. There's an area where they can interact with some live creatures and there was an area to create a take home shellfish made of arts and crafts. The young ones had fun making those. You can see everything and do the activities in an hour or so.

Experiencia fantástica: Great little aquarium located here

Experiencia fantástica: Great local aquarium to take the kids or visit on your own. You can walk through the entire place in under 30 minutes or take your time and spend a couple hours there. The tanks are filled with tropical fish that seem very vibrant. Unfortunately, when we went the Monk seal was sent away for educational purposes; however, there were still plenty of things for the kids to observe. The kids found the sea dragons the most interesting. I can't be certain, but my wife felt that the fish here seemed brighter than at the other aquariums we've visited in the past.

Experiencia fantástica: Awesome place to check out. It's a bit small for an aquarium but don't let that fool you, what they have is awesome. Worth the few dollars you spend to get in to door. I was there around Halloween time and they had decorated the tanks with fun skulls, skeletons, and odd eyeballs everywhere.

Experiencia fantástica: Great location especially if you have kids. A lot of sea creatures and interesting fish to look at. With your phone you can login to get an audio your if you so wish. Recommend

Experiencia positiva: Pretty good place. Some exhibits were closed though. The inside aquarium was well laid out and really interesting to walk around. Very informative.

Experiencia positiva: It's not a large Aquarium like we expected but it does have a huge assortment of the local fish and jelly fish of the area. Some good size sharks and a huge grouper as well.

Experiencia positiva: Great little aquarium, not all the exhibits we're up and swimming, but we'll worth the visit.

Experiencia fantástica: I didn't know what to expect. I had been to the aquarium in Chicago and thought this might be on the same scale. It wasn't. However, it was a nice sized exhibit with interesting displays. They had a nice variety of dish and sea life. But what really made the visit special were the interpreters outside who interacted with the guests. You could tell they were excited about their work and talking with people. Nice job. My oldest daughter loved the shark tank. My youngest loved the jellyfish. I personally liked the sea dragons. I had never seen anything like them before.

Experiencia positiva: Very small but nicely presented exhibits. Cool outside tropical tanks. Nice to combine with visit to Zoo which is just down the road.

Experiencia positiva: It was ok. I guess I'm spoiled with the Georgia aquarium. But it was something to do.

Experiencia positiva: Some things were closed at this time but was still really cool

Experiencia positiva: Good place to stop with the kids or without. Entry fee is 12$ and you don't need reservations,just pay at the door. You can go through the whole place in 1 hour. There are some stuff to see so it is a good balance between money and value.

Experiencia negativa: I think this was the weakest aquarium I've ever been to. I definitely expected more. Many of the exhibits were shut down for maintenance and it took about 15 minutes to see everything. Even my kids were complaining when we left.

Experiencia fantástica: A reasonably priced place to learn about local and other exotic marine life. Total visit time is about 30-45 minutes as it is a small facility. It was interesting and worth the time.

Experiencia fantástica: It's a small aquarium, but nicely done. Has quite a variety of different fish and many aquariums for your entertainment. You can go through the inside outside of exhibits in about an hour, or spend quite a bit longer if you just enjoy watching the fish. Everything is ground level so easy access for anyone.

Experiencia positiva: Our small kids had a good time at rhe aquarium. Should have read the fine print before we went...seals are gone to CA til 2023 so the exhibit is down. The octopus was also MIA. Also, the outdoor aquarium is bo longer a touxh aquarium. Used to be. You can get through this attraction pretty quick, so we always go back around with the little ones. They offer military discount as well. Parking is good during the weekday as well. We purchased tickets online as instructed but people were buying tickets at the aquarium.

Experiencia fantástica: Very interesting and hosts a variety of species. Staff was great and hospitable. Definitely a place you should go to in Oahu.

Experiencia positiva: It was small but they had cool fish. It will only take you about thirty minutes to walk and see everything. The seals look like they would be the biggest attraction but they weren't not on exhibit

Experiencia fantástica: There isn't a lot to see but that because it is sea life that is native to Hawaii. What is there is absolutely amazing!!! Sea creatures I've never seen didn't know even existed. Exotic and amazing. Plus it was only $12 a person which is an amazing price for the area.

Experiencia positiva: It's ok, but they are low on funding and are having trouble fixing and maintaining exhibits. I recommend going to make sure they get the money they need. Very kid friendly and awesome and knowledgeable volunteers are there.

Experiencia fantástica: A small but rewarding place to visit. Friendly and knowledgeable staff on hand to answer questions. See and learn about corals, fish and vegetation found in the waters of the Hawaiian islands.

Experiencia positiva: It's a cute little place, they charge the same as the big aquarium in Chattanooga TN and it only has about 1/10 the amount of stuff to see and do. plus they still require a face mask inside which makes no sense in Hawaii.

Experiencia fantástica: Interesting variety of species. The sea dragon exhibit was incredible. Make sure to bring a face mask with you (or purchase a disposable one for $1 from them).

Experiencia fantástica: Great place to spend 1-1.5 hours. Free complimentary parking right outside on east side of building, but needs a parking pass from front desk.

Experiencia positiva: Very small aquarium that was educational and only took about 45 minutes to an hour to get through - they had some big fish and lots of facts about coral and the ecosystem around the island.

Experiencia fantástica: Small but beautiful. Friendly staff. And absolutely affordable for all!!

Experiencia fantástica: Great aquarium! Small but it's really interesting took me an hour to go through, thoroughly enjoyed my trip

Experiencia positiva: Not really impressed. The octopus and seals not there, thought I won’t claim as it was only a $5er with discount but it would be been nice to know that prior to purchasing a ticket. Small aquarium, not much in the way of a gift shop and nothing to eat or drink unless you want to call the soda machine a drink choice! Will say plenty of fish tanks and the seahorses were very nice. Good for the kids.

Experiencia positiva: Not very big . But has some great exhibits.

Experiencia fantástica: Great aquarium to bring your kids to. Go check out dragon fish and the 45 year old oyster. This is a relatively small aquarium, but it's still beautiful and enjoyable.

Experiencia positiva: Super super small! And it seem alot of the fish are just repeated. But it was a good family activity to do if you have limited time or a few extra minutes to kill before a reservation or just want putting for the day. We completed to whole aquarium and gift shop in about 30mins.

Experiencia fantástica: Very small which allowed us to take the time to really observe the fish and identify them. So many super beautiful and unique fish packed into a few rooms. Volunteers were so sweet and taught my kids so much! My kids say this was one of their favorite parts of Hawaii and it only cost $22 for one adult, two kids, and one free three year old.

Experiencia positiva: Being coming here with our girls for many years. Also find some interesting items in the gift shop to buy. I like how they creatively stock the gift shops. The aquarium is nice and small, as not too overwhelming.

Experiencia fantástica: A small aquarium, but don't let that you prevent from coming here. Lots of interesting colors from each section. Would love to find again when all of the exhibitions are opened.

Experiencia negativa: So wasn't worth the $12 per person. Locals pay $8. Small facility. If you stick around to read everything you might have a different view.. We were out in abt 5 minutes.

Experiencia fantástica: I came here many years ago and while it is a smaller aquarium than many others, I still find it both charming and interesting enough. I probably spent a good hour or so here walking around, definitely worth it! Just be sure to arrive early and close to opening to get one of the limited parking spots in front. It's free for 2 hours if you are visiting.

Experiencia positiva: Beautiful aquarium, was disappointed that the seals weren't on exhibit but I understand they were making renovations to their habitat. Also was disappointed that there weren't more sharks on display, because the website said they had a Tiger Shark, but it was still worth the price of admission and the staff were friendly.