Boating & Ocean Recreations

KAILUA-KONA, HAWAII -- Salvage operations are expected to begin this week to remove a 39’ Coast-Guard documented powerboat “Hoku Kea,” which ran aground Friday evening off Kohanaiki beach, west Hawaii.

HONOLULU -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) will permanently close its office in the Melim Building at 333 Queen Street at the end of the business day on February 5, 2016 and remain closed for one week in order to move into a new building that has been completed on the grounds of Ke`ehi Small Boat Harbor.

HONOLULU -- Portions of the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Haleiwa small boat harbor are being used as an emergency command center authorized by the Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation, and set up by the Honolulu Police Department during multi-agency rescue efforts today for the missing crews of two Marine Corps helicopters which collided last night off Haleiwa. Officers from DLNR’s Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement are assisting by checking the shoreline from Waialua to Kaena Point for any debris.

HONOLULU -- The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) has tallied community votes for the representatives who will serve on the Maunalua Bay Recreation Advisory Committee. DOBOR is establishing a community advisory committee for Maunalua Bay ocean users as a forum to provide input on the regulation and management of recreation activities in the bay.

HONOLULU - The DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) is following through to finalize a lease termination with Honey Bee USA, Inc. effective November 15, 2015, for the use of just over three acres of dry and submerged lands at Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor. It was the intended location of a proposed redevelopment project known as “Waikiki Landing.” The project was to have included wedding chapels, restaurants, retail and office space, a boat repair facility and fuel dock.

HONOLULU -- In response to the concerns of community members regarding the status of ocean recreation regulations in Maunalua Bay, the DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) is taking the next step to establish the Maunalua Bay Recreation Advisory Committee (M-RAC).

HANALEI -- Last night a 33 foot vessel, Serenity, belonging to Randy Perez, was leaving Hanalei bay when his motor died. He hoisted sail but it tore so the vessel drifted back into the bay. The vessel dropped anchor, but due to high surf it broke its mooring and washed onto the rocks on the bay’s west side at Waipa. The vessel suffered a hole in its port side (left) of the hull. Perez was injured while trying to get off the vessel and was taken to a hospital for treatment.

HONOLULU – The popularity of manta ray viewing sites at Makako Bay (Garden Eel Cove) along the coastline fronting the Sheraton Keauhou Bay on the Big Island’s Kona coast has captured media, state and federal attention. These manta ray viewing opportunities are unique worldwide and tours are conducted in two specific areas where mantas tend to congregate at night to feed on plankton. In recent years it has come to the attention of the DLNR that commercial manta ray night snorkeling and diving at these two popular sites has expanded considerably and the activity is in need of regulation in order to preserve the resource and prevent the dangers posed by overcrowding. The DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) is actively engaged in responsibly investigating the tour operations taking place and working to further regulate manta tour activities for safety and for the environment.

HONOLULU -- A volunteer clean-up of trash within the Ala Wai small boat harbor is planned for this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, September 26 and 27. Puma Punku Ocean Clean Up, Inc. is a new non-profit business formed to clean the ocean of plastic and marine debris.

HONOLULU — A state boating administrative rule that is now permanent continues the ban on alcohol and drug use, and disorderly behavior, at the Kane‘ohe Sandbar, also known as Ahu O Laka.