Waikiki Aquarium (Hawaii, United States of America)

The waters surrounding the Hawaiian Islands are inhabited by a variety of unique, interesting, and beautiful marine creatures.  For visitors to Hawaii, one of the easiest ways to see many of these amazing creatures is to visit the Waikiki Aquarium which is located at the east end of famous Waikiki Beach.  The aquarium first opened in 1904 as the “Honolulu Aquarium”, and, according to its home page, is the second-oldest public aquarium in the United States.  It is a relatively small aquarium, with the public areas consisting of a main building housing the indoor exhibits and a number of outdoor exhibits built on the adjacent grounds.  In fact, the aquarium is compact enough that a visitor on a tight schedule can easily go through the facility in under 30 minutes.  (Assuming the visitor doesn’t read much of the posted explanations or listen to any of the educational presentations.)  The main building of the aquarium was constructed in 1955, and although the facility has had a number of significant renovations over the years, it still retains the same “Local Hawaiian” charm that it had when I first visited it in the 1970’s. 

Indoor Exhibits

The indoor exhibits were based on themes displaying various geographies and types of ecosystems.  Notably, the live corals in these tanks were as beautiful as the ones that I have seen while snorkeling in the waters off of Oahu’s North Shore.  

Here are a few photos:

 And here are a few photos of some of the inhabitants:

Copperband Butterflyfish (Chelmon rostratus)

Pyramid Butterflyfish (Hemitaurichthys polylepis)

Stripey (Microcanthus strigatus)

Threadfin Butterflyfish (Chaetodon auriga) (Hawaiian name: Kikakapu)

Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens) (Hawaiian name: Lau’ipala)

Pot Belly Seahorses (Hippocampus abdominalis)

Jellyfish Gallery

Lagoon Jelly (Mastigias sp.)

Blackchin Tilapia (Sarotherodon melanotheron), a fresh water fish imported into Hawaii. They now inhabit many, if not most, of the freshwater ponds, rivers, and brackish water areas in Hawaii.

Outside Exhibits

My favorite outdoor exhibit is the “Edge of the Reef” representation of a shoreline and tide pool.  It is populated by small fishes and invertebrates, and it features a mechanism that recreates small waves.

Exhibit regarding fish in Hawaii aquaculture

Hawaiian Monk Seal Pool

This area was divided into two sections – perhaps meant to house two Monk Seals or a seal and a different type of animal – but on the day of my visit, I only saw a single Hawaiian Monk Seal.  Due to good timing, I was able to watch the seal’s feeding time.  At least during the time I watched, the animal was not made to perform the type of circus tricks that are sometimes criticized at some other aquariums. 

Educational Efforts - Opportunities for Animal Encounters

Although the Waikiki Aquarium started its existence in 1904 as a private commercial venture, the owners ceded the property to the Territory of Hawaii in 1919 and administration of the aquarium was delegated to the University of Hawaii.  Subsequently over the years, the aquarium assumed a mission of education, conservation, and research. This mission is evident throughout the aquarium’s signage and displays.

Touch screen video presentation

Display of live corals with magnifying glass

Explanatory Signs

Pictured below is the “Edge of the Reef” area where volunteer staff members provide explanations and allow visitors to touch certain invertebrates.

Food and Souvenirs

Although the aquarium grounds feature a large grass lawn and a patio deck that seem to be the perfect setting for a picnic, I did not see any food or drinks for sale within the aquarium. The souvenir shop was well stocked with many branded merchandise such as clothes and trinkets, many books, and even fairly pricey artwork of marine animals. 

The Waikiki Aquarium and Me

The fish in the photo below is the Raccoon Butterflyfish (Chaetodon lunula) (Hawaiian name: Kikakapu).  Among all fishes in the ocean, this is one of my favorites. 

The first time I ever took a “nature” photograph was at the Waikiki Aquarium, and the first fish I targeted was a Raccoon Butterflyfish.  I was so impressed by the beauty of this fish that I begged my father to let me take a photo using his Kodak Instamatic, a plastic-bodied film camera that used disposable flashcubes.  A few days later when my father brought the developed prints back from the film processing shop, I was very disappointed that the photograph did not look “the way I saw it”.

The camera flash had reflected off the glass window of the exhibit, and it completely obscured my primary target, the fish in the middle of the frame. This was my first lesson on the use of flash while photographing through a glass window.  It was also the start of a lifelong pursuit of the “natural-looking” animal photograph – in zoos, aquariums, and in the wild.

  

Getting There

The Waikiki Aquarium is located at the eastern end of Waikiki, a short walk from the Honolulu Zoo, and within walking distance from most Waikiki hotels.  Admission is US$12 for adults (ages 13 to 64), US$5 for juniors (ages 4 to 12), and free for children 3 and under. Senior citizens aged 65 years old and over get in for US$5, U.S. active duty military personnel and adult Hawaii State residents get in for US$8.

(Note: All photos (except one) in this post were taken during a visit on September 15, 2016.  The comments in this post are based on observations made on that day.  Conditions may have since changed.  Please check it out for yourself!)