The Maui News

The Maui Ocean Center will host its annual Coral Spawning Night from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, with rice coral spawning stations set up throughout the park.

“This event is a great educational opportunity for the public to learn about and witness coral spawning for themselves,” Nadine Nagata, Maui Ocean Center’s curatorial coordinator, said in a news release. “Coral spawning is not something easily observed unless you know when it occurs and what you’re looking at.”

Coral spawning, or reproduction, coincides with the lunar cycle, and this month’s event will be held during the new moon. Marine naturalists will be on hand with flashlights to point out the spawning to guests. While coral spawning is expected to occur, it’s not guaranteed due to environmental variables, the ocean center said.

A variety of activities, including a coral feeding station, will be featured along with diver presentations in the aquarium’s 750,000-gallon Open Ocean Exhibit. Inside the Sphere Theater, speakers will include John Gorman and Dane Maxwell of the Maui Ocean Center, Christina Jayne and Norton Chan of the Hawai’i Coral Restoration Nursery and Julia Rose of The Nature Conservancy.

There will also be live music as well as food and drinks. Guests must show their ID for alcohol purchases.

Tickets are $25 for ages 4 and older (ages 3 and younger are free) and $15 for aquarium members. To reserve a spot, visit mauioceancenter.com/reservations/.