A charter business has been fined roughly $30,500 after its catamaran ran aground and damaged coral and live rock within Maui's Honolua-Mokulē‘ia Bay Marine Life Conservation District.
In January, the 65-foot “Hula Girl,” owned by Kapalua Kai Sailing, grounded at the bay as it was sheltering during windy conditions and rough seas. The boat's crew anticipated a storm, but it was reportedly stronger than expected.
The state Board of Land and Natural Resources issued its fine based on the 36 coral specimens and 48 square feet of live rock that were damaged, most of which took place during the process of removing the grounded boat.
The owners took responsibility for the damage, but their attorney, Bryan Ho, said they shouldn't be fined for more than that.
“It's not only the boats that are at risk in these stormy conditions, but it's the people on board. It's more about the people and the crew and the captain who are putting their lives on the line by being out there — the boat's secondary to that,” Ho told the land board during a meeting on Friday. “To think that they didn't do anything that looked out for the safety and welfare of the crew first, that did not happen in this case.”
The BLNR agreed and fined the owners for just the damage caused to the coral and live rock.
Peter Wood, who manages Kapalua Kai Sailing and offers sailing, snorkeling and other tourist-focused water activities, said he's been a licensed Coast Guard captain and doing business in West Maui for 50 years.
He noted his familiarity with conditions at sea.
“I'm very familiar with how it works and the unfortunate chain of events that led us to this incident. It was unfortunate. We regret it,” Wood said.
Wood was thanked by the board for taking responsibility for the grounding.
In 2023, a luxury yacht grounded in the same conservation district, but the owners were fined $1.8 million following calls from the public for stiffer penalties.
