Hawaiian Council has acquired Sea Life Park Hawai‘i, placing the landmark marine attraction under Native Hawaiian stewardship for the first time and expanding the organization’s growing portfolio of tourism and cultural enterprises.
The council closed the deal with Herschend Family Entertainment on Tuesday for an undisclosed amount. Kuhio Lewis, CEO of Hawaiian Council, said operations will continue uninterrupted, with no planned layoffs and all existing reservations and annual passes remaining valid. He said the council intends to invest in cultural programming, landscaping, food offerings and visitor experiences.
Lewis said the council has tapped former Sea Life Park General Manager Valerie King, who retired in 2023, to lead the transition. Sea Life Park Hawai‘i will be operated by Attractions Hawai‘i, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hawai‘i Holdings & Investments, a for-profit holding company that oversees the commercial enterprises that support the organization’s broader community initiatives.
Sea Life Park, which opened in Waimanalo in 1964, is an oceanarium, aquarium and marine research facility focused on marine education, conservation and public outreach. The park features an aviary, marine animal exhibits, presentations and interactive experiences, including programs involving dolphins, sea lions, reef sharks and Hawaiian reef fish
The park operates on state-owned land managed by the Department of Land and Natural Resources, with Hawai‘i Pacific University serving as the master leaseholder. The council, which has obtained a long-term lease, will continue operating under the existing structure and will work closely with HPU, the state and other partners.
The property has historical ties to the Indigenous fishing community of Kaupo and the surrounding Makapuu area, which Lewis said helped make Sea Life Park a natural fit for Hawaiian Council’s cultural and educational vision.
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Lewis said the organization intends to build on Sea Life Park’s marine education mission while incorporating Native Hawaiian culture, history and traditional knowledge into the visitor experience.
“You’re not going to just come for flips and tricks and things that the dolphins and animals do,” Lewis said. “It’ll be cultural enrichment, education and storytelling — there are so many stories in our genealogy and the Sea God Kanaloa just surrounds the area.”
Ownership struggles
Sea Life Park has changed hands several times since opening in 1964.
The park was founded by Taylor A. “Tap” Pryor, a well-connected Marine known for his passion for both aviation and ocean exploration. Pryor got the idea for Sea Life Park while conducting shark studies while he was a graduate research assistant at the University of Hawaii.
Just months after opening, Pryor reported that it was getting 800 paid visitors a day, and that it had a 70-person payroll. By 1966, the park was projected to hit 400,000 visitors a year, according to a Feb. 21, 1966, Honolulu Advertiser article.
But the park ran into financial trouble within a decade. In a 1987 interview for the Watumull Foundation Oral History Project, Charles Joseph Pietsch Jr. recalled that Oceanic Foundation, which held the master lease, had gone bankrupt.
“The construction of Sea Life Park was in 1963 and in about eight years it was in trouble,” Pietsch said. “Actually, the Oceanic Foundation had gone bankrupt. They held the master lease, so someone had to bail out Oceanic Foundation, take the master lease and with it Sea Life Park.”
Pietsch said he and a partner acquired the lease and park through bankruptcy proceedings, “put up the million-odd dollars it took to get them out of bankruptcy and bought it,” and later purchased the remaining shares from other stockholders.
New York investor Christian Wolffer bought the park, along with Waimea Falls Park, in 1996. But he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization of these properties in 2001.
Dolphin Discovery of Cancun, Mexico, purchased the park in 2005 and then sold it to Palace Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Madrid-based Parques Reunidos Group, which bought the park in 2008 for an undisclosed amount.
King, who previously worked for Palace Entertainment, said the company upgraded all animal habitats and planned a $30 million redevelopment that included a green sea turtle conservation center, a volcano-themed shark exhibit and restoration of part of the historic fishing village of Kaupo. Although the project received final approvals after the pandemic, construction was postponed as the company recovered from COVID-related closures across its parks.
In May 2025, Herschend Family Entertainment Corp. became the owner of Sea Life Park when it acquired Palace’s 24 U.S. attractions. King said she approached the Hawaiian Council about buying the park in January at the request of Herschend.
“Hawaii is unique and I think the current company recognized that from the start,” she said. “That’s why they told me, we can’t be here. It’s difficult. We need a local company.”
Eric Rose, senior vice president of zoological advancement at Herschend, said in a statement, “Sea Life Park is an important Hawaii institution with a long history and deep connection to the community.
“As we considered its future, it was important to identify an owner who understood that responsibility,” Rose said. “We believe Hawaiian Council is well positioned to guide Sea Life Park’s next chapter with care, continuity and respect for Hawaii.”
Future investment
Lewis said the council is prepared to make an immediate investment in enhancing the park’s landscaping with Native Hawaiian plants, expanding cultural storytelling, educational programming and hands-on demonstrations. He said there will be more Native Hawaiian retail and Chef Roy Yamaguchi will overhaul the park’s food offerings.
Lewis said the council plans to invest further in the park but wants to see stronger visitor numbers first.
“They used to get thousands of visitors a day, and now it’s in the hundreds,” he said.
Lewis added that the council will fill key vacancies, including a general manager, sales and marketing and cultural staff, and gather community input before pursuing major redevelopment.
“I think the animals are in good care, they’re in good shape,” he said. “We’re going to focus on the things that we’re strong in and we’re going to let those that understand that area of things do their job and support them.”
Lewis said the park employs about 100 people, bringing Hawaiian Council’s total workforce to roughly 600 across its business enterprises, which have expanded more aggressively into tourism, destination stewardship and entertainment since 2023.
Lewis said the council has lost millions in federal funds through Trump administration cutbacks and because it has chosen not to pursue some funding opportunities in the current environment.
“We’re almost 100% free of federal money and we’re sustaining ourselves and growing,” he said. “It’s been three years since we’ve really taken on this model of economic sovereignty where we’re creating our own resources to support our programs and services.”
The council’s tourism arm, Kilohana, secured a multiyear, $27 million tourism stewardship contract from the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority in 2023. It expanded further in 2024, acquiring Hawai‘i Stage and launching Na Lei Aloha Luau at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach. In 2025, it acquired Na Mea Hawai‘i, a retailer featuring local artists and crafters. Through a broader cultural activation agreement with Ko Olina Resort, the council also opened Kaula Lu‘au at Ko Olina in February and is targeting a December debut for the Broadway-style musical Hawaiian Goddess: The Epic Tale of Hi‘iaka.
He said Sea Life Park and the council’s other business ventures operate through a for-profit subsidiary, and that a portion of the revenue they generate is intended to support programs focused on housing, job creation, workforce development, lending capital and emergency assistance.
King said she looks forward to seeing the council’s vision unfold.
“I really am excited. I believe in their mission. Just having all the revenue stay in Hawaii to do good for the community, that’s really important,” she said. “And I think they’ll be able to make a lot of changes in the park that are going to be real positive and beneficial and feel good.”