Planned as a state-of-the-art aquarium, the Cannery project would be the third in the country; the others were opened this year at Pier 39 in San Francisco and the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn.
The concept is a 300-foot, transparent acrylic tunnel winding through a 1.2 million gallon tank. The news release says it's an experience "otherwise reserved for the certified diver."
This week's announcement involved considerable fanfare, food, keiki dancers in fish suits and hoopla at a spiffy but otherwise almost empty Dole Cannery mall. Clearly, it is hoped that the aquarium will attract shoppers.
The real underwater experience at Hanauma Bay is so popular we turn visitors away. Meanwhile, brisk business for sightseer submarines has attracted competition off Waikiki.
It's ironic. Developers will risk millions to build an artificial marine environment while plans for a Waikiki underwater park have gone on the rocks. Hawaii's stunning marine life could be available to anyone with a mask and snorkel, just by reserving a few acres of reef for a marine sanctuary. There's room for both.
