Beginning Saturday, commercial boat operators in West Maui will once again be able to work out of Māla Wharf on the weekends.
This is welcome news for Lahaina boat captain Keao Shaw as he works to rebuild his family business in the wake of the wildfires.
Prior to the wildfires, Shaw and his wife, ʻIwa, ran a small charter boat business called Makai Adventures and a tour boat company Kainani Sails out of Lahaina Harbor.
But wildfire damage to the harbor forced the couple to operate out of nearby Māla.
“A lot of my employees are looking for more work because there were so many boats that were lost,” Shaw said, “And we have a limited amount of days to be operating out of Māla right now.”
Since October, the Department of Land and Natural Resources has limited commercial operations at Māla Wharf to weekdays.
“When you really look at it from an economic standpoint and a jobs standpoint — it's almost 30% of the work week,” Shaw said.
But, beginning Saturday, Shaw and other commercial operators will be able to work out of Māla seven days a week.
“We’re running five trips a day with just about full boats, so it’s a good thing to be up and running and getting back on the water,” Shaw told HPR. “For us, that’s where we want to be.”
As for Lahaina Harbor, DLNR says restoration will take an estimated three years.
