Boating & Ocean Recreations

A capital improvement project for the DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation’S Manele Small Boat Harbor is scheduled to begin on June 26, 2017, that will include the removal of 11 existing wooden finger piers and installation of new aluminum framed finger piers with slip resistant fiber reinforced plastic decking, plastic lumber fendering, and cleats.

The Board of Land and Natural Resources today assessed a fine of $15,000 for three violations by lava tour boat operator Shane Turpin (dba Kohala Tours) for conducting commercial activity from a state boating facility without a required commercial use ramp permit, in violation of boating administrative rule, HAR 13-231-51.

If you launch a boat from one of O‘ahu’s small boat harbors you’ll see one. If you start hiking up one of the island’s popular trails you’re bound to see one. By the end of today, 25 large, conservation messaging signs will have been installed at various locations under the jurisdiction of the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). Another five signs are portable and will be used for various outreach and education purposes.

After wildlife biologists and veterinarians relocated a 10-month-old Hawaiian monk seal on March 30th from the Lihi Canal in Kapa‘a, to a beach on the island’s west side they’d hoped she would stay away from the canal. Two days ago the seal, identified as RH92, returned to the canal along with an adult seal (RK13). Together they’ve been seen feeding on small fish in the manmade waterway along with discarded fish parts. The return of RH92 to Lihi is prompting stepped-up public awareness and outreach and potentially enforcement of littering laws for fishermen who dispose of fish parts in the water.

To help educate Hawaii Island’s ocean users about boating safety and marine resources, Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) officers will be present at Wailoa Small Boat Harbor to speak with boaters, share information and answer questions, on Saturday March 25 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The owner of a 35-foot cabin motorboat that went aground at Kihei beach Wednesday afternoon during strong winds and waves, is attempting to remove his boat. The "Hanamana", owned by William Domen, Jr. broke off its offshore mooring in the area of South Kihei Road. and Uwapo Road. It’s resting on the sandy shoreline fronting the area of Kihei Canoe Club.

Hawai’i’s small boat harbors, under the jurisdiction of the DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR), serve as the ocean gateways for thousands of kamaʿāina and visitors every year. In addition to maintaining 2,000 berths statewide and registering some 12,000 boats, DOBOR and its small boat harbors are used for a large variety of purposes. Boating, obviously, but also snorkeling, diving, touring, fishing and kayaking are among the frequent uses of our sixteen small boat harbors. All of these harbors and their ramps, piers, moorages, wash downs, comfort stations and parking lots require constant maintenance. While many boaters and commercial operators pay fees, any private boat owner can acquire an annual launch ramp decal for $50. These harbors also serve literally, as “safe harbors” during storms. These facilities are constantly exposed to the corrosive effects of salt air and salt water. This means, in addition to regular maintenance, the frequency in which you have to replace structures is greatly accelerated.

HONOLULU - The Department of Land and Natural Resources is asking current Mala Wharf tenants to contact its Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation, Property Management Branch so they can receive information about keeping their storage rental agreements in force, following the reissuing of a one-year revocable permit (RP) for that property. A&K Ventures, LLC will begin management of dry-land boat and trailer storage at Mala Wharf on Maui, on March 1, 2017.

KAILUA-KONA, HAWAI‘I -- A capital improvement project for the Honokohau Small Boat Harbor mauka boat ramp is scheduled to begin on January 30, 2017, that will include the removal of both concrete loading docks and installation of new loading docks with new plastic lumber fendering and cleats. The project has been contracted to Isemoto Contracting and will cost $562,700.

HONOLULU -- A large quantity of copper wire was located today at Ke‘ehi lagoon area today by enforcement officers of the Department of Land and Natural Resources.