The Mauna Lani Resort on Hawaiʻi Island wants two offshore boat moorings at its Makaʻiwa Bay location. However, the state wants more input from the community first.
The state Board of Land and Natural Resources last week deferred a request by the hotel ownership, DHL Mahi OPCO, to install the moorings to park a 42-foot yacht meant for guests. The hotel is also planning to add a second boat for the same purpose.
The land board received more than 140 pages of written testimony on the request, most in opposition. They say the boats would affect swimmers, surfers and other ocean users.
Longtime resident Francis Ruddle said the rough ocean conditions can damage boats and harm nearby sea life.
“As a Native Hawaiian and steward of the ocean, I strive to preserve. These two new proposals will have significant impacts on the coral reefs and marine life — protecting turtles, humpback whales and eagle rays,” Ruddle said at the land board meeting.
His family has been linked to the area for generations, including operating a boat tour business with a mooring, too.
“Approving these moorings was a set of precedence along the coastline for other resorts and wealthy to apply and install more moorings, further damaging our ocean," Ruddle said.
Others said swimmers and snorkelers would be pushed out if boats occupied the bay.
Mauna Lani representatives said a new mooring there would help cut down on gasoline emissions.
The hotel parks its yacht, called the Kalama Kai, at the Honokohau Small Boat Harbor. Staff have to bring it to Maka’iwa Bay every day, which they say is a 60-mile round trip.
“If the installation of these mornings are approved it would not only provide a safer operation for the captain and crew of Kalama Kai, but also benefit our environment in a positive way by helping to reduce our carbon footprint,” said Ikaika Vivas, one of the boat’s captains, in a written testimony.
The board decided to defer the hotel’s request so it could reach out to community members and figure out if the moorings would inhibit any cultural practices taking place at Makaʻiwa Bay.
