Waikīkī Aquarium facts for kids
Waikiki Aquarium entrance
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| Date opened | March 19, 1904 |
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| Location | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States |
| Coordinates | 21°15′57″N 157°49′19″W / 21.2659°N 157.8220°W |
The Waikīkī Aquarium is a cool place in Honolulu, Hawaii, where you can see amazing ocean animals. It started way back in 1904, making it one of the oldest aquariums in the United States! It's part of the [[University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa]].
This aquarium is special because it's built right next to a real coral reef on the Waikīkī shoreline. It's home to more than 3,500 ocean plants and animals from 490 different types of species.
Every year, over 330,000 people visit the Waikīkī Aquarium. Plus, more than 30,000 students learn about the ocean through its fun education programs. It's even recognized as a special Coastal Ecosystem Learning Center!
Contents
How the Aquarium Started
The Waikīkī Aquarium first opened its doors on March 19, 1904. It was created by the Honolulu Rapid Transit Authority, which ran the city's trolley system. The idea was to encourage people to ride the trolley all the way to Queen Kapiʻolani Park.
The land for the aquarium was given by James Bicknell Castle. Money to build it came from Charles Montague Cooke and his wife Anna Rice Cooke. In 1955, the aquarium moved to its current spot, which is a bit south of the original location. That's when it changed its name to Waikīkī Aquarium.
When it first opened, the aquarium had 35 tanks and 400 different marine animals. A famous biologist named David Starr Jordan said it had the best collection of fish in the world! Important visitors like William Jennings Bryan and Jack London also loved it.
Meet the Aquarium Directors
The Waikīkī Aquarium has had five main directors who helped it grow and change over the years.
Frederick A. Potter: The First Director
Frederick A. Potter was the aquarium's first director, starting in 1904. He wasn't a marine scientist, but he loved Hawaiian fish. He worked hard to support the study of fish in Hawaii until 1940. A beautiful fish called Potter's Angelfish was named after him!
Spencer Tinker: A Fish Expert
In 1940, Spencer Tinker became the second director. He was a professor at the University of Hawaii. Tinker was famous for his books about Hawaiian fish and other ocean creatures. His book Hawaiian Fishes is still very popular today. A fish called Tinker's Butterflyfish was named in his honor.
Leighton Taylor: A New Vision
Leighton Taylor became the third director in 1975. He was an expert on sharks and saw that the aquarium needed to change. He wanted it to focus more on education, protecting ocean life, and research.
During his time, the aquarium got a new logo, started an education department, and created a volunteer program. It also began accepting donations and memberships to help fund new exhibits and services. Taylor's goby, a small fish, is named after him.
Bruce Carlson: Coral and Renovation
Bruce Carlson became the fourth director in 1990. He had worked closely with Leighton Taylor to design new, more natural-looking exhibits. These exhibits showed off the amazing marine life from Hawaii and the western Pacific Ocean.
Carlson started a special program to grow corals, which the aquarium is now famous for around the world. From 1992 to 1994, he led a huge renovation project. This made the exhibits and visitor areas much better. Several reef animals are named after him, including two types of fish and two types of sea slugs.
Andrew Rossiter: Looking to the Future
In 2004, Andrew Rossiter became the fifth director, just as the aquarium was celebrating its 100th birthday! He wants to help people learn more about ocean life and how to protect coral reefs. His goal is to keep improving the aquarium's exhibits and facilities for the future.
Amazing Ocean Discoveries
The Waikīkī Aquarium has done some amazing things in the world of ocean exhibits and research!
Coral Reefs
In 1978, the Waikīkī Aquarium was the first place in the United States to show living Pacific corals. They used special water from a well and natural sunlight to keep the corals healthy. Some of the corals at the aquarium are over 30 years old!
Chambered Nautilus
The Waikīkī Aquarium was the second aquarium in the world, and the first in the United States, to successfully keep chambered nautilus alive. Even more amazing, it was the first in the world to get baby nautilus to hatch!
Other Firsts
The aquarium was also the first to display other cool creatures:
- Blacktip reef sharks around 1957.
- Broadclub cuttlefish in 1978.
- A special area for mahimahi (a type of fish) in 1991.
- Giant clams in 1979. The biggest giant clam at the aquarium is over 40 years old, making it the longest-living giant clam in any aquarium!
Awards and Recognition
The Waikīkī Aquarium has won many national awards for its exhibits and how it cares for ocean animals. These include awards for:
- Successfully raising nautilus (1991).
- Its "Corals are Alive" exhibition (1999).
- And the "South Pacific Habitat" exhibition (2003).
Art at the Aquarium
You can also find cool art at the Waikīkī Aquarium:
- "Tropical Sounds" (2000): These are abstract ceramic sculptures by Jun Kaneko.
- Vita Marinae (1975): This is a ceramic tile artwork by Claude Horan that shows a waterscape.
See also
- Kapiolani Park
- Kuhio Beach Park
