Sea Life Park

Interaction is the operative word at Sea Life Park Hawaii. Here you'll be greeted by playful dolphins, wide-finned, whip-tailed stingrays, good-natured sea lions, performing penguins and a huge array of tropical fish. These critters are comfortable with humans. And at Sea Life Park, you can take the leap and get to know them.

Sit on the sidelines if you wish, but if you're looking for something a bit more personal, take part in one of the Park's interactive programs. Try these on for size:

Hawaiian Ray Encounter: Swim in a special lagoon and go face-to-face with these fascinating creatures as they glide through the water.

Sea Trek: Take an underwater photo safari in a 300,000-gallon tank teeming with all manner of fascinating creatures. Three fathoms down in the Hawaiian Reef Tank, you'll walk among and hand feed schools of colorful tropical fish. A special helmet will enhance the view and you'll go home with your photo collection.

Dolphin Adventures: This is a chance to get a personal training lesson with Sea Life Park Hawaii trainers and see dolphins up close.

Sea Lion Discovery: Sea Lions, it turns out, have a great sense of humor. So expect to have fun when you go swimming with them.

Dolphin Discovery Swim: From a waist deep platform, guests observe the dolphins at play.

Performing Atlantic and Pacific bottlenose dolphins appear daily in Dolphin's Cove, an ocean-side lagoon with a panoramic view of the dazzling shoreline. The show at the park's Hawaiian Ocean Theater features both dolphins and penguins. And at the Kolohe Kai Surf Club, sea lions are the stars.

Sea Life Park Hawaii, a 15-mile drive from Waikiki, is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Take H1 eastbound from Waikiki until the freeway turns into Kalaniana'ole Highway. Continue on the highway until you see the park on the left side of the road.