General Tours

The Pacific Aquaculture & Coastal Resources Center is now sufficiently staffed to provide tours of our Keaukaha coastal facility in Hilo. General tours are available on Wednesdays at 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM and last between 30 and 45 minutes. Tours will NOT be available on state or federal holidays. Visitors must adhere to the following guidelines:

• Please complete the online tour form shown at the bottom of this page. Alternatively, you may submit a Printable PACRC Tour Form (Adobe Acrobat file, .pdf) and submit via mail/e-mail (mkubojir@hawaii.edu) or by fax [(808) 933-0499; Attn: Michele Kubojiri].
• Tours should be scheduled no less than two weeks prior to the desired date of the tour.
• There is a maximum of 25 persons per tour unless special arrangements are made (see link to above registration form for more details).
• There must be one adult chaperone for every 10 children under 14 years of age (see Educational Tours below).
• No outside terrestrial/aquatic plants or animals (except for those that accompany persons with disabilities) are allowed on the premises without prior written permission from the PACRC.
• No food is allowed while tours are in progress; drinks are allowed but only those in containers with a lid. FOR LARGE GROUPS (25+): PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN WATER (bottled water or cooler)
• Please respect all restricted areas as some aquaculture projects may require strict biosecurity and certain animals may be sensitive to the presence of people.
• Bring protection for inclimate weather and exposure to the elements (hats, sunblock, rain gear, umbrellas, etc.)
• All rubbish must be properly disposed of in cans or recycling bins provided.

Educational Tours

The PACRC is also happy to serve our local communities by providing educational tours for Big Island schools. Although on-site educational programs are currently under development, our tour currently includes hands-on activities (touch tanks, viewing tiny animals/plants through microscopes) and general information about ongoing activities at the facility. In addition to the general guidelines provided above, educational tours must adhere to the following additional guidelines:

• Reminder: There must be one adult chaperone for every 10 children under 14 years of age.
• If there are more than 25 persons (includes all children and chaperones), then:
  • Further arrangements must be made to have additional staff present to provide the tour.
  • Large groups must be broken up into smaller groups of 25 persons or less.
  • We recommend a maximum of 75 persons per tour.

Cancellation

There is no penalty for cancellation; however, our staff would appreciate prior notice of 24+ hours if you plan to cancel a scheduled tour.

Tour Request Form