Sea Life Park Hawaii is a marine mammal

Marine mammal

Marine mammals, which include seals, whales, dolphins, and walruses, form a diverse group of 128 species that rely on the ocean for their existence. They do not represent a distinct biological grouping, but rather are unified by their reliance on the marine environment for feeding. The level of...

 park, bird sanctuary and aquarium near Makapu'u Point, north of Hanauma Bay

Hanauma Bay

Hanauma is a marine embayment formed within a volcanic cone and located along the southeast coast of the Island of Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands....

 on the Island of Oahu

Oahu

Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...

 in Hawaii

Hawaii

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The park first opened in 1964, and includes exhibits that let visitors interact with the animals by swimming with dolphin

Dolphin

Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...

s, sea lion

Sea Lion

Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear-flaps, long fore-flippers, the ability to walk on all fours, and short thick hair. Together with the fur seal, they comprise the family Otariidae, or eared seals. There are six extant and one extinct species in five genera...

s, and ray

Batoidea

Batoidea is a superorder of cartilaginous fish commonly known as rays and skates, containing more than 500 described species in thirteen families...

s, taking a sea safari in the aquarium, and feeding the sea turtle

Sea turtle

Sea turtles are marine reptiles that inhabit all of the world's oceans except the Arctic.-Distribution:...

s. The park was acquired in 2008 and is operated by Palace Entertainment

Palace Entertainment

Palace Entertainment is an American amusement and entertainment company owned by Parques Reunidos. The company was established in 1998 after the acquisition of four independently owned family entertainment companies with the five brands Camelot Parks, Palace Park, Boomers!, Grand Prix Race-O-Rama...

, the U.S. subsidiary of Parques Reunidos

Parques Reunidos

Parques Reunidos is an international entertainment operator based in Madrid, Spain. The group operates over 50 parks in almost a dozen countries. Parques Reunidos operates theme and amusement parks, zoos, water parks, family entertainment centers, and cable cars...

 from Dolphin Discovery

Dolphin Discovery

Dolphin Discovery is a Mexican company which offers interactive programs with dolphins, sea lions and manatees in six locations in Mexico: Puerto Aventuras , Cozumel, Cancun-Isla Mujeres, Six Flags Park Mexico City and Puerto Vallarta...

 which had acquired it in 2005.

Exhibits and facilities

The Hawaiian Reef Aquarium is a 300000 gallons (1,135.6 m³) tank that is home to more than 2000 reef animals, including sharks, stingrays, turtles, and schools of tropical fish.

The Hawaiian Ocean Theater is the venue for the main shows, which includes dolphins, penguins, and sea lions. The shows include information about the newest training techniques and about the park's conservation efforts.

The Penguin Habitat is home to the park's Penguins, which are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums

Association of Zoos and Aquariums

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums was founded in 1924 and is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and public aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation.The AZA headquarters is located in Silver...

 Species Survival Plan

Species Survival Plan

The American Species Survival Plan or SSP program was developed in 1981 by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to help ensure the survival of selected species in zoos and aquariums, most of which are threatened or endangered in the wild....

 for the Humboldt Penguin

Humboldt Penguin

The Humboldt Penguin is a South American penguin, that breeds in coastal Peru and Chile. Its nearest relatives are the African Penguin, the Magellanic Penguin and the Galápagos Penguin...

.

Visitors can interact with the animals at the Sea Turtle Feeding Pool, Sting Ray Lagoon, Swim with the Sea Lions and Swim with Dolphins pools.

The Dolphin Cove Show features an open-air theater from which visitors can watch dolphin performances.

The Bird Sanctuary is home to many wild marine birds including "Iwa" (great frigatebirds

Great Frigatebird

The Great Frigatebird is a large dispersive seabird in the frigatebird family. Major nesting populations are found in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as a population in the South Atlantic....

), booby

Booby

A booby is a seabird in the genus Sula, part of the Sulidae family. Boobies are closely related to the gannets , which were formerly included in Sula.-Description:...

s, shearwater

Shearwater

Shearwaters are medium-sized long-winged seabirds. There are more than 30 species of shearwaters, a few larger ones in the genus Calonectris and many smaller species in the genus Puffinus...

s, and albatross

Albatross

Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds allied to the procellariids, storm-petrels and diving-petrels in the order Procellariiformes . They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific...

es, most of which came to the sanctuary sick or injured. Visitors can see how these birds are cared for and rehabilitated.

The Hawaiian Monk Seal Habitat lets visitors see these native animals, and interact with the trainers before and after the shows.

Activities

Sea Life Park Hawaii includes several programs that let visitors interact directly with the animals in the water. All programs are run several times daily.

• Dolphin Royal Swim Program, Dolphin Swim Adventure, Dolphin Encounter, and Dolphin Aloha all let visitors interact directly with dolphins in the water.

• Sea Lion Discovery lets visitors swim and play with sea lions in the water. Visitors are also taught the signalling system used by the trainers to communicate with these animals.

• Sea Trek Adventure is an underwater stroll in the Hawaiian Reef Tank, surrounded by eels, stingrays, sea turtles, and numerous other reef species.

Conservation

Sea Life Park Hawaii is active in several conservation areas, including the release of adolescent green sea turtles that were hatched and raised at the park, hundreds of which are released into the wild each year.