But now that Honolua Bay has reopened -- community members say its seeing a lot of boat traffic, maybe a little too much.
MAUI COUNTY, Hawaii (KITV4) -- Ever since a luxury yacht beached in Honolua Bay was removed a little over a week ago, community members have been monitoring the area regularly and spotted four snorkel boats there on Sunday.
While mooring at the bay is technically legal, some say doing so at this time is inconsiderate.
"It's been this way for 20 or more years, but right now the visual is insulting to the community after what we've been through," said 'Save Honolua Coalition' member John Carty.
Seeing that many snorkel boats in Honolua is unusual, area Councilmember Tamara Paltin said, adding most of them typically moor there in the summer.
"Personally, my reaction is it's a bit much," Paltin shared.
Because Honolua Bay is a marine life conservation district, fishing there is prohibited. It's also illegal to remove or alter sand and coral there.
But some people argue to minimize impacts to the bay's marine life, it's time to impose limits on the number of commercial boats that can dock there, especially after the 94-foot yacht Nakoa was just stranded there and leaked fuel into the water.
DLNR
"The door is open for reform because the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) has expressed interest in listening and they want change too," Carty said.
But the challenge is having enough staff to enforce the rules.
Sen. Angus McKelvey, who represents the area, has been in talks with the department to have an officer patrol Honolua regularly.
"Honolua is such a special place and so many people that care about it are coming from different perspectives and I don't think that one is necessarily wrong or bad but we all have to kind of work together to protect this area," Paltin said.
While it's too late to introduce new legislation this session, Paltin has mentioned she and the Maui County Council could draft a bill for consideration next year.
In the meantime, Paltin plans to have a discussion with DLNR later this month.
'A'ali'i is a reporter with KITV. He was born and raised on the island of Maui and graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor's degree in Journalism.
