With its award winning exhibits, the Honolulu Aquarium is a magical marine world for kids, and a great learning experience for adults too. Also known as the Waikiki Aquarium, it houses upwards of 400 species of aquatic life, and provides entertainment that the entire family will enjoy. The aquarium boasts 350,000 annual visitors.
On the Waikiki shoreline, the Honolulu Aquarium is a great place to go when you need a break from soaking up the sun. With its cool, dark walls, you'll see tiger and reef sharks in the deep tank, as well as huge, colorful Palauan clams. These start as hatchlings no bigger than a dime, and grow to measure more than 2 feet.
The longest running exhibit here is the Edge of the Reef, an outdoor tank which was one of the first touch pools in the US. Those wonderfully colored fish you saw snorkeling? Find them here and put a name to them. ? the sunny yellow tang, the crosshatch red-tailed triggerfish and the beaked mouth parrotfish.
Other exhibits not to miss include:
o The barrier reef ? a giant tank with 100 species of fish and live coral. See if you can spot the giant 500 lb clam!
o The biodiversity special exhibit - look out for the reclusive hairy hermit crab, the pink leaf dragonfish, and the weedy seadragon.
o The jet-set exhibits - these are critters that propel themselves through the water, including the Hawaiian day octopus, the bigfin cuttlefish that pulsates with otherworldly light flashes, and the chambered nautilus, which remains largely the same as its eons old ancestors.
The Honolulu Aquarium is one of the rare places where you can see the critically endangered Hawaiian monk seal up close. Nuka 'au and Maka onaona are the two adult male seals living at the aquarium. In spite of focused conservation efforts, there are only around 1300 of these seals remaining; they are native only to the Hawaiian islands.
Many seals have been lost by becoming entangled in ocean debris and fishing nets. Children will enjoy the feeding show, which happens several times a day. The monk seals roll and frolic in and out of the water for food.
Awe your kids in the Honolulu Aquarium by pointing out the different types of jellyfish, as they dance, like aquatic ballerinas, across the tank. There are moon jellies, white-spotted jellies and lagoon jellies - now how cool is that?
It has several after-hours programs. One of the most delightful for couples and families alike is the reef exploration tour at night. See how many crabs, eels and octopus and other night creatures you can spot as you wade up to your knees with aquarium staff.
Otherwise, enchant your kids with a memorable flashlight tour of the Honolulu Aquarium. Once a month, armed with flashlights, visitors soft-shoe through the aquarium to explore the nocturnal habits of the marine life. Do fish really sleep with their eyes open?
The Honolulu Aquarium also has a number of educational and conservation programs, and is internationally recognized for its work propagating coral through its coral ark program. The aquarium is growing rare Hawaiian coral species to reintroduce them into the wild. Once you've visited this place, you'll leave not only enchanted, but better educated as well.
Author Resource:-
Ted Felber is the editor of EnjoyHawaiiVacations.com where you get practical tips and suggestions on the best Hawaii attractions, activities, adventures, lodging, travel deals, vacation packages and more.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://articles-about-travel.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites