From "The Garden Island" Newspaper 2004

From "The Garden Island" Newspaper 2004.

With over a million people living in Hawaii and hundredsof thousands of tourists visiting yearly; Hawaiian huis, environmental groups, community members, and scientists alike are realizing that our marine resources are in trouble.

We need to know what our reefs look like and how abundant they are in different places around the island. Baseline surveys of our Marine Resources are imperative. What this means is that locals and scientists must examine the near shore marine coral reef as well as measure ocean health in offshore areas around each island. Baseline surveys are important to discover the health and abundance of animals on the reef, noting areas of importance and abundance, like where juvenile fish may shelter, turtle or monk seal areas, heavy coral spawning sites, other notable features as well as shoreline activity. Mapping the near shore with GPS (global positioning system), GIS (geographic information systems), as well as video and digital photo documentation can show the community what the reefs look like, provide an archive of the reef health if something was to harm it, and then let the community decide what is best for our reefs.

The state appointed stewards of Hawaii, the DLNR (Department of Land and Natural Resources) and DAR (Division of Aquatic Resources) have a severely limited budget, and their funding is constantly being cut. These men and women, local and introduced, are doing the best they can with what they have, and are working hard tohelp Hawaii protect our ocean and land.

Many local groups here on Kauai like Waipa, Limahuli Valley, Hanalei Watershed Hui, Malama Maha’ulepu, Nawiliwili Watershed Council, Save Our Seas, and Reef Check have seen that their own fish catch sizes decreasing, and less abundance of marine animals. They have already taken action and currently are monitoring and surveying local reefs, while training community members, and high school students in these techniques that support Ahupua’a, MPA (Marine Protected Area) and resource conservation projects. Currently, there are NO Marine Protected Areas on Kauai! All of the other islands have them, but we must ask ourselves why we have none here.

Marine Protected Areas have many different designations, some are Hawaiian Sustenance Fishing grounds where native Hawaiians may fish, some are Fish Replenishment and Management Areas, where fish are left by fisherman and collectors to recover and “seed” other areas as ocean currents take the young of these animals and spread them around the islands. Some MPA’s, like the tourist hot spot Hanauma Bay on Oahu, are Marine Life Conservation Districts and are completely protected areas only open to certain activities and even restrictions about fish feeding, litter, and suntan lotion apply. These areas are created by the community, for the community, and it is up to us to get together and make these Marine Protected Areas places that we all can agree on.

Efforts must be made to further educate fishermen on the successful programs already in place like the Ulua (jack trevally), Oio (bone fish), Opakapaka (pink snapper), and Ahi (yellow fin tuna) tagging programs. These programs show that many fish species move around and leave MPA reserves. Fisherman must also work with the communityto make rules and help enforce rules because our own government can not. Bottom fishing and “gill net task forces” must take action and find ways to create restrictions on themselves so that they may care for fish populations, our resources.

Mike Sakamoto, author and TV personality has proposed “a Fishing Task Force to look into a Marine License, smaller bag limits, slot limits, closed seasons on ulua and other species, an ulua enhancement program (stocking of ulua) and other enhancement programs…” as well as “Spear Fishing Task Forces” so that we the fishermen come up with size and bag limits, tournament restrictions, and night diving regulations. All of these ideas are a great way to increase and monitor populations, and the community certainly will be able to come up with more.

The management of Hawaii’s marine resources must evolve. Hawaii’s marine resources must be protected byus working together, with help from the state and federal agencies, to make sure that areas of high diversity are preserved and that future generations may have plentiful resources, we must create a bounty that will ensure the legacy of those that live on these islands

Hawaii Snorkeling

Hawaii Snorkeling: No matter which Hawaiian island you visit, enjoy the beautiful views of exquisite coral reefs, colorful aquatic life and so much more just below the surface of the pristine azure waters of the Pacific!

You will be equipped with all of the necessary gear and equipment so whether you decide to join a snorkeling adventure on one of the many available ocean vessels or from the smooth sandy shore, you will be able to experience one of Hawaii's most popular activities!

Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii, with it's many islands and well developed tourist infrastructure, has numerous diving opportunities.The best places to dive on Oahu are near the famous landmark of Diamond Head. Other popular areas are along the Waianae Coast (outstanding during summer months), the North Shore (not accessible during winter months because of high surf), and Makapuu's offshore Rabbit Island.

Maui offers a host of good to outstanding diving areas all around its shoreline. The best area on the Big Island of Hawaii is along the Kona Coast where there are excellent places to dive to view beautiful reefs, shallow to deep, with coral, shells, large fish, turtles, lobsters, black coral, and fascinating topography resulting from lava flows.Lanai lies Cathedral Reef, 30 to 100ft deep, with colorful coral, shells and big fish such as the 50lb ulua (Crevalle Jack) and lobsters. Molokai's east and west ends are considered by some divers to be unmatched anywhere in the world.

The diving in Kauai is very similar to what you might experience in Maui. On any given day in the summer, you can get great visibility and have access of up to 26 dive sites, many from shore. However, in winter, the seas on the north side of the island are very rough, and those sites are not divable, limiting your choices to only a few on the south (Poipu) side of the island.


Operators

Kauai
Bubbles Below
Sea Sport Divers
Dive Kauai

Maui
Kapalua DiveTropical Divers
Maui Dive Shop

Oahu
Reef Trekkers

Lanai & Molokini
Extended Horizons
Lahaina Divers

Liveaboards
Kona Aggressor

Weather on all of the Hawaiian Islands is very consistent, with only moderate changes in temperature throughout the year. This is possible due to the year-round warm sea surface temperatures, which keeps the overlying atmosphere warm as well. In practical terms there are only 2 seasons here: the summer months (called Kau in Hawaiian) that extend from May to October and the winter months (Ho'oilo) that run from November to April. The average day-time summer temperature at sea level is 85°F (29.4°C) while the average day-time winter temperature is 78°F (25.6°C). Night-time temperatures are approximately 10°F lower.



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