KAILUA-KONA — Steve Marks was headed out of Honokohau Harbor earlier this month for a day of fishing when he abruptly had to bring his boat to a halt.
“As we’re coming out, there’s a whole bunch of dolphins, and then all of the sudden, I looked and there was a whole bunch of people in the water,” Marks said.
“I just threw my boat in neutral and I looked to the side of my boat and there was a lady staring at me that was in the water. And I said, ‘Holy crap,’ and then my other friend told me, ‘Ho brah, I almost bang one, too.’”
Swimming with wild dolphins is a popular West Hawaii attraction; however, boaters say doing it near the harbor entrance is creating an unsafe situation that needs to be addressed before something tragic happens.
According to boaters, some tour companies are stopping in waters just outside the entrance to allow people a chance to swim with the pod that is known to frequent the harbor area. At times, there have been four boats dropping people in the water. There’s also some people swimming from shore to interact with the mammals. Dive flags might or might not be used.
The National Marine Fisheries Service said it was still reviewing proposed rules prohibiting swimming with and approaching Hawaiian spinner dolphins under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
While they might start in waters adjacent to where boats traverse, the swimmers often unknowingly follow the dolphins into the area where boats are going in and out of the harbor.
“It’s not a matter of ‘if’ there will be an accident in the Honokohau Harbor entrance, it’s going to be ‘when’ there’s an accident because it’s bound to happen, and somebody is going to get killed,” said Rob Englehard, a fisherman who also directs fishing tournaments in West Hawaii.
Marks, Englehard and other boaters said the response from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation has been slow.
“There’s a bunch of us that have called DLNR and voiced our opinion about it and we’re basically not getting nowhere,” said Marks.
The department said in an email that it is aware of the issue and is working with the U.S. Coast Guard to find a remedy.
While state administrative rules prohibit swimming in harbor channels, there is “some uncertainty whether a channel exists, and if so, where the boundaries are” at Honokohau because there is only one green navigation buoy, the department said.
A waterway assessment survey is underway and was sent to all Honokohau Harbor permit holders and other interested parties. It is being conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard Waterways Management Branch. The data collected will help determine the effectiveness of the current system of aids to navigation, as well as other waterway safety concerns.
Lt. Cmdr. John Bannon, Coast Guard Sector Honolulu waterways management lead, said he’s received 80 surveys regarding the harbor and plans to visit Honokohau later soon to meet with boaters and stakeholders to discuss findings from the survey.
The DLNR said a Coast Guard notice to mariners about safety concerns just outside the harbor relating to mixed use of the waterway has been in effect since May 2.
Email Chelsea Jensen at cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com.