Hailey prays to the ocean gods for a miracle to change her mother's mind about moving; minutes later, a violent storm occurs.

Aquamarine's father summons a giant storm to drag her back home, but Hailey and Claire jump into the ocean to her aid.

Realizing how hard Hailey's mother has worked for her job, the girls decide to save their wish for something else, and say goodbye to Aquamarine, who promises to visit.

In the stage booklet during the end credits, it is revealed that Claire, Raymond, and Aquamarine reconnect with Hailey in Australia a year later and explore the Great Barrier Reef together.

[7] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A−" on scale of A to F.[8] Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter called Aquamarine a "bright and breezy tween fantasy romantic comedy that coasts along on its charming performances and the light comedic touch of first-time feature director Elizabeth Allen.

"[9] Variety's Joe Leydon praised the film, writing, "The high-concept premise ... has been fleshed out with inventive wit, unsticky warmth and more than a little wackiness.

"[12] Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe wrote that Aquamarine "is unique because it's the rare movie that fiercely respects the altruistic loyalty that bonds girls to one another.

"[15] Rating it 3 out of 4 stars, Todd Hertz of Christianity Today wrote, "The movie scores a major victory in reaching its audience with the all-too-important message that they are fine just the way they are.

Carrie Rickey of The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, "Like its title character, Allen's choppy and inconsistent film has two speeds, ditsy or sentimental, and never gathers momentum.

"[17] Reviewing Aquamarine for the BBC, Stella Papamichael rated the film 2 out of 5 stars, writing, "the worthy message about the value of friendship, central to Alice Hoffman’s novel, is drowned out by a sappy, magazine-style portrait of girlhood that’s all lip-gloss and giggles.

"[18] Marrit Ingman of The Austin Chronicle also rated the film 2 out of 5 stars but enjoyed some aspects, like its making fun of the dating advice in teen magazines such as CosmoGirl.

[9] Roger Ebert praised Roberts and Levesque for their "unstudied charm",[22] while Leydon lauded their "credible and compelling relationship with each other" as well as their "pitch-perfect reactions as straight women" to Paxton.