Kahaluʻu Beach Park in Kailua-Kona will be temporarily closed from May 11 through May 19 due to efforts to recover and replenish their cauliflower coral reefs.
The park, which will reopen May 20, has participated in this voluntary effort since 2018.
In 2015 and 2019, marine heatwaves caused bleaching and mortality for over 90% of Kahaluʻu Bay's cauliflower coral population. In response, annual rest periods were implemented.
Only six mature cauliflower coral colonies were left in Kahaluʻu in 2017. Now, hundreds, possibly thousands, of colonies are growing, according to Hawaiʻi County.
The county said Kahaluʻu Bay receives over 400,000 visitors annually and is a popular site for snorkeling and diving. During the conservation efforts, the public is asked to refrain from these activities, so that the coral can be left undisturbed.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research on coral spawning has found that it can take as little as 24 hours for cauliflower corals to successfully reproduce and resettle in new reef areas.
“To see the bay at rest and the new corals growing on the reef is a testament to what is possible when we work together to care for ʻāina," said The Kohala Center’s Director of ʻĀina Advocacy Cindi Punihaole in a news release.
