COURTESY DLNR The board on Friday approved the settlement with Kapalua Kai Sailing, Inc., for the Jan. 31st grounding of the 65-foot catamaran inside Maui's Honolua-Mokuleia Bay Marine Life Conservation District.
1 /3 COURTESY DLNR The board on Friday approved the settlement with Kapalua Kai Sailing, Inc., for the Jan. 31st grounding of the 65-foot catamaran inside Maui's Honolua-Mokuleia Bay Marine Life Conservation District.
COURTESY DLNR The board on Friday approved the settlement with Kapalua Kai Sailing, Inc., for the Jan. 31st grounding of the 65-foot catamaran inside Maui's Honolua-Mokuleia Bay Marine Life Conservation District.
2 /3 COURTESY DLNR The board on Friday approved the settlement with Kapalua Kai Sailing, Inc., for the Jan. 31st grounding of the 65-foot catamaran inside Maui's Honolua-Mokuleia Bay Marine Life Conservation District.
COURTESY DLNR The board on Friday approved the settlement with Kapalua Kai Sailing, Inc., for the Jan. 31st grounding of the 65-foot catamaran inside Maui's Honolua-Mokuleia Bay Marine Life Conservation District.
3 /3 COURTESY DLNR The board on Friday approved the settlement with Kapalua Kai Sailing, Inc., for the Jan. 31st grounding of the 65-foot catamaran inside Maui's Honolua-Mokuleia Bay Marine Life Conservation District.
COURTESY DLNR The board on Friday approved the settlement with Kapalua Kai Sailing, Inc., for the Jan. 31st grounding of the 65-foot catamaran inside Maui's Honolua-Mokuleia Bay Marine Life Conservation District.
COURTESY DLNR The board on Friday approved the settlement with Kapalua Kai Sailing, Inc., for the Jan. 31st grounding of the 65-foot catamaran inside Maui's Honolua-Mokuleia Bay Marine Life Conservation District.
COURTESY DLNR The board on Friday approved the settlement with Kapalua Kai Sailing, Inc., for the Jan. 31st grounding of the 65-foot catamaran inside Maui's Honolua-Mokuleia Bay Marine Life Conservation District.
The owner of the "Hula Girl " catamaran will be fined $30, 448 for damages caused by its grounding at Honolua Bay, according to the Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources.
The board on Friday approved the settlement with Kapalua Kai Sailing, Inc., for the Jan. 31st grounding of the 65-foot catamaran inside Maui's Honolua-Mokuleia Bay Marine Life Conservation District.
This amount compensates the state for damage to 36 specimens of stony corals and 48 square meters of live rock, along with the cost of restoration work and the investigation. The Division of Aquatic Resources estimated the value of the corals and live rocks at about $22, 500, and administrative costs at about $8, 000.
BLNR Chair Dawn Chang said the board decided not to pursue the maximum authorized penalties against Kapalua Kai, which could have been as high as $86, 000, because they took responsibility for their actions.
"The board also considered other mitigating factors, including the proactive measures taken by Kapalua Kai Sailing during the grounding to avoid fuel and debris discharge, and during removal to minimize impacts to marine resources, " she said in a news release. "We appreciate Kapalua Kai Sailing's cooperation throughout this process, and their desire to compensate the people of Hawaii for the unintended damage to our natural resources on public lands."
At the same time, she said, the board realizes the community has larger concerns about the protection of Honolua Bay that need to be addressed more comprehensively.
The BLNR last year boosted its fine for the "Nakoa, " a luxury yacht grounded on the reef at Honolua, a total of $1.8 million DLNR said it was for biological and cultural damages and "emotional distress to the community." The Nakoa was illegally moored when it broke free in February 2023, and had leaked fuel and damaged several species of coral.
After several unsuccessful towing attempts, the Nakoa was finally pulled free about a month later, but was scuttled at sea after taking on water en route to Oahu.
Kapalua Kai Sailing Inc., based in Lahaina, offers charter snorkeling and whale watching tours.
The "Hula Girl " broke free of its off-shore moorings in the bay following a powerful storm, and overnight, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Four crew members safely disembarked.
The captain of the catamaran said a waterspout and large waves severed the vessel's mooring lines, and resulted in a loss of steering control. The catamaran then became lodged on the shallow, rocky shoreline in the northern part of Honolua Bay until mid-March, when it was removed from shore and towed to Oahu.
While the grounding itself caused minimal impact to the shallow reef structures, BLNR said, salvage operations that followed resulted in measurable damage within the conservation district. The dragging of the vessel left two distinct parallel scars, damaging shallow habitat and live rock.
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