Department of Land and Natural Resources

(HONOLULU) – Four surf instruction companies received permits last week in a lottery conducted by the DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR), for the right to operate in Kahalu‘u Bay on Hawai‘i Island.  

(KAILUA-KONA, HAWAI‘I ISLAND) – In an effort to better manage large crowds of surfers and commercial instructors in Hawai‘i Island’s Kahulu‘u Bay, four surf instruction companies were awarded permits in a first-of-its-kind lottery, this morning. 

(HONOLULU) – The DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) is hosting a public meeting on Monday, November 13 to discuss the draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the North Kawaihae Small Boat Harbor improvements project on Hawaiʻi Island.

(Kailua-Kona) – A lottery next month will be conducted to determine four applicants eligible to receive a Kahalu‘u Bay ocean waters commercial use permit for surf school operations. After the maximum number of permits is reached, the lottery will continue and remaining participants will be placed on a waitlist in the order of lottery selection, in case another applicant drops out. The four permitted commercial operators in Zone A of the bay can have no more than four students in the water, regardless of the number of instructors in the ocean. Zone A is the only part of Kahalu‘u Bay where commercial surf instruction is allowed.

(LĀHAINĀ, MAUI) - The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) invites the community to an informational meeting on Wednesday November 1 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for recovery and operational updates regarding Lāhainā Harbor and Māla Wharf, including updates from the following DLNR divisions:

(LĀHAINĀ, MAUI) – After receiving a trailer from Maui County, this morning, to serve as staff space at Māla Wharf, the facility is reopening much sooner than anticipated. The ramp and facilities will reopen full-time for recreational vessel activity on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 6:00 a.m. People will be able to use the facility to access vessels moored offshore. 

(HONOLULU) – A trio of divisions under the Dept. of Land and Natural Resources are set to begin a three-month-long pilot project which allows state conservation enforcement resource officers to issue tickets and/or fines on the spot for violations of rules.

(HONOLULU) – The Moloka‘i community came together to clean-up Pāpōhaku Beach, after a boat, grounded on the reef, broke apart in heavy surf and littered the shoreline with debris. DLNR Deputy Director Laura Kaakua said the actions of local residents, who cleaned most of the vessel’s debris off the beach, made a big difference. “This was a good example of a community and government coming together. DLNR extends our heartfelt appreciation to the Maunaloa community for their care of Pāpōhaku,” Kaakua said.

(HONOLULU) – DLNR Chair Dawn Chang listened to and responded to dozens of questions from West Maui recreational boaters and commercial tour operators during a virtual information meeting on Tuesday. More than 450 community members, commercial operators, fishers, and other interested stakeholders dialed into the virtual meeting to get updates from the DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) about the status of West Maui’s commercial and recreational vessel activities.

(HONOLULU) – The DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) is hosting a virtual community informational meeting on October 3 to provide status updates on DOBOR facilities in West Maui and answer questions related to resumption of commercial vessel operations in West Maui