A longtime Oʻahu attraction is changing hands, with a local Native Hawaiian nonprofit taking over one of the island’s best-known visitor destinations.

Sea Life Park Hawaii has a new owner.

Hawaiian Council, the nonprofit formerly known as the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, acquired the Waimānalo marine-life park from Herschend Family Entertainment in a transaction that closed Tuesday, Aug. 11. The purchase price was not disclosed. Hawaiian Council says it plans to retain all current employees and honor existing reservations.

For a business that has been part of Oʻahu's visitor industry for more than 60 years, the change represents a significant shift in ownership.

A new owner with a local mission

Hawaiian Council is a Hawaiʻi-based, member-driven 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on Native Hawaiian cultural, economic and community development. It is headquartered in Kapolei and also operates as a U.S. Treasury-certified Native Community Development Financial Institution, providing access to capital, financial education and other services.

The organization has increasingly expanded its economic-development activities, including business programs, workforce development and community lending.

Now it owns a major tourism property.

That puts Sea Life Park in a different ownership category than many of Hawaiʻi's large visitor attractions, which are operated by mainland or international companies.

Sea Life Park has been around since 1964

Sea Life Park opened in Waimānalo in 1964 and has spent six decades operating as a marine-life park, aquarium and educational attraction. The park sits along Oʻahu's southeastern coast near Makapuʻu and has long been part of the island's visitor economy.

Today, the park features marine animals, birds, educational programs and animal encounters, along with the Aloha Kai Lūʻau. It also offers discounted admission for Hawaiʻi residents.

The attraction has gone through several ownership changes over the years.

In 2025, Herschend Family Entertainment acquired the company that owned Sea Life Park as part of a larger deal involving more than 20 entertainment properties from Parques Reunidos. At the time, Herschend said it did not expect immediate changes to daily operations.

Now, just over a year later, the park is changing hands again.

What happens next?

For visitors and employees, the immediate message is largely one of continuity.

Hawaiian Council says all staff will be retained, while existing reservations will be honored. The park's website continues to advertise daily operations, animal encounters, educational programs, resident discounts and the Aloha Kai Lūʻau.

That means the acquisition does not appear to represent a shutdown or immediate change to the visitor experience.

What happens longer term will be more interesting.

Sea Life Park's location, history and role in Oʻahu tourism give the property significant potential, but the new ownership also comes with responsibility for maintaining a longtime attraction and its animal-care and educational operations.

A property with a complicated history

Sea Life Park has also been the subject of public debate over animal welfare, development and its future.

In 2022, Civil Beat reported on the park's history of cetacean deaths and questions surrounding the use of marine mammals in entertainment. The park has continued to describe its mission around marine-life conservation, education and animal care.

The property's future has also been tied to redevelopment discussions. In 2023, the Honolulu City Council moved forward with a special management area permit related to proposed improvements and refurbishment of the park.

The new ownership therefore takes over a property that is more than simply a tourist attraction. It is also a longtime part of the Waimānalo community and a highly visible piece of Oʻahu's visitor industry.

Why it matters

Hawaiian Council's acquisition puts a major Oʻahu tourism attraction under the ownership of a local Native Hawaiian nonprofit at a time when Hawaiʻi is having a broader conversation about what tourism should look like and who should benefit from it.

For now, the basic equation is straightforward:

New owner. Same park. Same employees. Existing reservations honored.

The bigger story will be what Hawaiian Council does with the property over time.

For a park that has been welcoming visitors since 1964, this is the beginning of another chapter.