Twelve miles south of Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii, the brilliant blue water of Kealakekua Bay is popular with visitors who want to snorkel among its marine life and learn Hawaiian history. Visually striking, a soaring cliff face embraces the bay, which saw British explorer Captain James Cook’s last voyage and violent death in 1779.
However, that historic moment in time is but one of the controversies circling Kealakekua Bay.
The island’s largest bay is part of Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park, which also includes Napoopoo Beach; Kaawaloa, a historic fishing village; and Hikiau Heiau, an ancient place of worship still used for ceremonies today. About 115,000 people visit the approximately 537-acre park annually, according to the most recent study from 2007. Most arrive by boat to snorkel and view the Captain Cook monument, a white obelisk constructed in 1874 near the spot where he was killed. Others hike down a steep trail.
Similar to Hanauma Bay on Oahu, Kealakekua Bay is a Marine Life Conservation District, protecting the historically significant and ecologically delicate area. Still, some visitors disregard its fragile ecosystem and cultural sites, treating them like a theme park, even as locals and marine life continue to call Kealakekua home.
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Hikiau Heiau is an ancient Hawaiian temple on the shoreline of Kealakekua Bay.
©fitopardo/Getty ImagesSome visitors have demonstrated problematic behavior: walking on protected coral while snorkeling or swimming, bothering protected species, littering or entering the sacred heiau. In one egregious example, a Maui man chased an adolescent humpback whale and dolphins there in 2023; he was later cited for wildlife harassment.
For residents, one of the biggest concerns is visitors trampling the fragile and living reef, Frank Carpenter, the co-owner of Kealakekua Bay tour company Kona Boys, told SFGATE. Kealakekua Bay’s delicate coral reef is home to myriad species of marine life and serves as shelter, feeding and spawning grounds for rare tropical fish, along with other aquatic creatures. According to a Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology study, many reef fish make Kealakekua Bay their permanent home.
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To protect marine life, companies like Kona Boys — one of only a few companies authorized by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) to lead tours and rent kayaks in the bay — begin by educating visitors. A Kona Boys tour starts with a talk on Kealakekua’s history, deep cultural roots and ecological awareness, including not standing on living coral.
“It’s not only historically significant, it’s a sacred spot, so it’s really important that you enter it with respect and that you’re coming in there with the right intent and you’re educating the people you’re taking, not only on the marine life and the ecological aspects but also on the cultural aspects,” Carpenter said. “In my opinion, it’s critical that people go with authorized, reputable guides. It’s unfortunate, but some operators are just in it for the money.”
The white obelisk monument at Kealakekua Bay was constructed in 1874 near the place where British explorer Captain James Cook was killed.
imageBROKER/Thomas Lammeyer/Getty Images/imageBROKER RFLocals often step in to help educate visitors, with varying degrees of success. Carpenter, a resident of Kealakekua Bay who also serves on the board of several conservation-focused nonprofits, explained some people are receptive to correction when a local lets them know that coral is a living organism that can be easily damaged when walked upon. Those visitors may apologize, but others are defensive and uncaring.
“It’s really difficult because the way things are right now, there’s not really any enforcement down there because the state doesn’t have enough staff to be down there monitoring it, and it puts us in a really delicate situation because we want to educate people, but a lot of people down there aren’t open to that,” Carpenter said.
Having visitors understand that coral is a living, symbiotic organism is vital to the bay’s ongoing health.
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“I feel so privileged every time I come into that bay to be working in a place of such historical, cultural and biological significance. It’s an incredibly special place,” Julia Rose, the coral restoration program manager for the Nature Conservancy, told SFGATE. “Having some level of reverence when you’re in that space … the corals on the reef, some of those corals were probably there when Captain Cook was there.”
About 115,000 people visit Kealakekua Bay every year. The majority of them come by boat to snorkel in its waters.
Hotaik Sung/Getty Images/iStockphotoIn 2020, the Hawaii Tourism Authority released its current Destination Management Action Plan (DMAP) for the island of Hawaii and invited community voices such as Conservation International Hawaii Senior Program Manager Ulu Ching into the planning process. The tourism authority’s DMAPs are, as Ching told SFGATE, a “literal road map for how to care for an area.”
Ching said that like many others in Hawaii, she has “a love-hate relationship with tourism,” pointing out that while tourism “can be something of a blessing in terms of being an economic driver,” there was also “the extractive nature of tourism, the painting over of really important native narratives of the places where tourism is integral to economy.”
“It has opened up Hawaii to the world in a way that we — the people of Hawaii — haven’t had control or input into how we’ve been opened up,” she said. For more than 100 years, she added, the tourism industry has been economically dominant in Hawaii, and the residents and Native Hawaiian people want the industry to prioritize their stories, people and places over monetary boons.
Shifting to more regenerative tourism is critical for places such as Kealakekua Bay. February 2024 saw the first coral restoration project there, dubbed Kanu Koa, and the community took part in the regeneration of the life form considered sacred in Hawaiian culture for being among the planet’s first.
On that day in February, Rose and other divers harvested and rescued coral bits that had broken off with little chance of survival. They were then brought to the surface and passed down a line of community members in attendance. Using marine epoxy, divers fastened the pieces to living coral of the same species over 10-by-10-meter lots. When pieces are given a firm foothold on something else, the regeneration of the coral can be successful.
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Walking on the coral is only one type of disrespectful behavior seen from visitors to Kealakekua Bay. By involving community stewards, the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources hopes to promote better understanding among visitors.
A generational Kealakekua Bay resident, Shane Akoni Nelsen can trace his lineage in the bay back 500 years. He explains that his ancestors welcomed people from across the globe for centuries, which is part of Kealakekua Bay’s historic significance. He fished as a child, with his community subsisting on fare from the ocean, working together to malama (care for) the land and water. Then, the fish they caught for food began to taste like the sunscreen that coated most visitors entering the water, given the burgeoning tourism industry.
Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park is an approximately 537-acre park, which includes the 315-acre bay along with Napoopoo Beach, Kaawaloa and Hikiau Heiau.
RASimon/Getty Images/iStockphotoNelsen leads the community stewardship nonprofit Hoala Kealakekua Nui. He said that the vision for the organization is to “ … restore balance that’s relevant for us today, for the Native peoples that still live down there and struggle to live there today, and to still have the visitor piece.”
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“My entire life, about three or four generations, we have been disconnected from stewarding our place because of the MLCD and for the purpose of engaging tourism in the bay because of its historical significance and its pristine marine waters,” said Nelsen, “but [eventually] the lineal descendants were no longer able to provide subsistence … not just in certain areas, but also because of impacts from the tourism industry.”
Hoala Kealakekua Nui operates under an agreement with DLNR to help steward the land and its resources. Nelsen and his team partnered with the Nature Conservancy to create a multifaceted Community Action Plan that was released in 2022 to help the area’s natural resources thrive again.
The plan stated that the bay’s top threat was people acting disrespectful toward residents and the bay’s natural and cultural resources. It also said people are trespassing and overpromoting the bay through social media, which contributes to overcrowding. Coral restoration was deemed a critical action item by all involved.
For generational residents like Nelsen, there is a reverence for the area, which remains a final resting place for their ancestors and a ceremonial space where traditions are still honored. Nelsen and his team wanted to integrate traditional knowledge and practices into the tourism industry along with DLNR’s recently approved Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park master plan. It calls for incorporating Hawaiian cultural practices and values into its strategies; adding interpretive programs to promote visitor “understanding, awareness, appreciation, and respect for the significant historic, cultural and natural resources of Kealakekua;” and including local knowledge and stewardship in its management.
“It’s important because if you don’t recognize the Native peoples, their culture and their subsistence, then it’s not part of the management. It’s not included in the vision,” Nelsen states. “We’re still well and alive, we’re not historical and preserved, we’re still there struggling to exist.”
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Editor’s note: SFGATE recognizes the importance of diacritical marks in the Hawaiian language. We are unable to use them due to the limitations of our publishing platform.
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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – For Waikiki regular Ken Burig, the years-long closure of the bathroom at his favorite spot, feet away from iconic Prince Kuhio statue, has been especially troublesome.
“It’s very disappointing, cause it’s been like that for a long time and it’s very inconvenient for myself because I’m handicapped,” Burig, who gets around using an electric chair, said.
For the past four years, the city has blamed the bathroom’s closure on vandals who flushed clothes down the toilets, as well as mechanical and electric issues with a pump, requiring more than $40,000 for repairs.
The two nearest public restrooms are about a quarter mile away in both directions along Kalakaua Ave, an estimate five minute walk to reach either.
Visitor Ayah Muhsen agreed with Burig that the lack of a loo in the heavily-visited stretch of beach is “very inconvenient.”
Nicole Ancheta, another beach regular, added, “Dozens of people have put in complaints over the past year, since last August, September, not just me.”
Ancheta is adamant about getting the restroom reopened, reaching out to the city herself.
“Still waiting, they don’t have answers. I went to the board meeting in February. I get a note in February that it’ll be open in March, and it’s still closed, and still no answers. I emailed them last week,” Ancheta said.
A city spokesperson sent HNN the following response it provided to Ancheta:
“The maintenance contractor (Alakai) for the ʻŌhua Avenue comfort station at Kūhiō Beach Park is scheduled to work on the bathrooms this Friday, February 27, 2026 and we hope to have the bathrooms reopened soon. We further hope that these repairs last, and the bathroom can be utilized by you, your ‘ohana, and the public for longer than just a few days.
I know you are familiar with the problematic history of this particular bathroom building, but I did want to provide some context so we can all be on the same page. This bathroom is below ground,, so it requires its own tank, grinder, and two pumps to direct the sewage to the municipal lines. The extended closures have indeed been numerous, lengthy, and can certainly give the impression of continuous closure; making this facility one of our most challenging bathrooms we oversee. That’s primarily because the closures have resulted from vandalism of people flushing clothing down the toilets or mechanical/electric issues with the bathroom’s pump. Repairs to the pump and electric issues have experienced delays because the parts are under warranty, and we have been working to have them replaced or repaired under that warranty, saving taxpayer dollars.
We are determining our next course of action with this problematic facility, as we have already spent over $40,000 in repairs to this one bathroom coming on four years. Realistically,Head side a larger Capital Improvement Project will likely be needed if these current repairs don’t last.
Fortunately, there are public bathroom facilities within decent proximity to this one; near HPD’s Waikīkī Substation (0.3 miles away) and on the Diamond Head side of Kapahulu Avenue (0.2 miles away) just past the beach volleyball courts. I understand it can be difficult to walk that distance when you have kids or kupuna to take into account, but there are other nearby options.”
The spokesperson also pointed out that because there is no public parking for the stretch of beach, some walking is involved to get there as well.
One of the closest parking areas is on Kapahulu Ave, which is near a public comfort station.
We are still waiting for updates from the city.
However, another city spokesperson explained that the city is also a victim of the vandalism to the facility, not just those who need to use it.
Money and resources meant for normal maintenance that are not budgeted for improvements, the official added, get derailed to fix damages, impacting repairs in other places.
But two months ago, Hilton Grand Vacations donated $1 million to improve the area, which the Waikiki Business Improvement District hopes will help deter vandals.
“We really believe if things look nice, if you clean up dead grass, if you get rid of graffiti, if you repair that broken window, then crime will reduce, and things will get better,”
You can report vandalism to city facilities here.
Copyright 2026 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
| Shores | Tonight | Wednesday | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surf | Surf | |||
| PM | AM | AM | PM | |
| North Facing | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-3 |
| East Facing | 2-4 | 2-4 | 2-4 | 2-4 |
| South Facing | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-3 |
| Weather | Mostly cloudy. Occasional showers. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Temperature | In the upper 60s. | ||||
| Winds | North winds 5 to 10 mph. | ||||
|
|||||
| Weather | Partly sunny. Scattered showers. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Temperature | Around 80. | |||||
| Winds | Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph. | |||||
|
||||||
| Sunrise | 5:52 AM HST. | |||||
| Sunset | 6:43 PM HST. | |||||
| Shores | Tonight | Wednesday | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surf | Surf | |||
| PM | AM | AM | PM | |
| West Facing | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 1-3 |
| South Facing | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-3 |
| Weather | Mostly cloudy until 12 AM, then partly cloudy. Scattered showers. |
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Temperature | In the upper 60s. | ||||||||
| Winds | East winds around 5 mph. | ||||||||
|
|||||||||
| Weather | Mostly sunny. Isolated showers. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Temperature | In the lower 80s. | ||||||||
| Winds | South winds around 5 mph. | ||||||||
|
|||||||||
| Sunrise | 5:56 AM HST. | ||||||||
| Sunset | 6:47 PM HST. | ||||||||
Surf along north and west facing shores will remain small tonight before a small bump is possible on Wednesday. An upward trend is then expected during the second half of the week as another northwest swell arrives as early as Wednesday night. This swell originates from a storm-force low that tracked into the Bering Sea this past weekend, as confirmed by scatterometry. Therefore, this swell appears more likely to materialize. Looking further ahead, a storm-force low east of Japan will send a moderate, longer-period northwest swell toward the islands for Friday and Saturday, with surf heights potentially approaching advisory levels along exposed north and west facing shores.
Surf along south-facing shores will remain small through much of the week, with mainly background south to southwest swell expected. Another south-southwest pulse may arrive by this weekend from recent activity within our swell window east of New Zealand, providing a small increase in surf.
Surf along east-facing shores will remain relatively small and choppy through midweek, with a slight rise possible Thursday and Friday as trades strengthen.
NORTH EAST
am pm
Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.
Conditions: Semi choppy with ESE winds 5-10mph in the morning increasing to 10-15mph in the afternoon.
NORTH WEST
am pm
Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.
Conditions: Clean in the morning with ESE winds less than 5mph. Bumpy/semi bumpy conditions for the afternoon with the winds shifting W 5-10mph.
WEST
am pm
Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.
Conditions: Light sideshore texture in the morning with NNW winds 5-10mph. Bumpy/semi bumpy conditions for the afternoon with the winds shifting to the WNW.
SOUTH EAST
am pm
Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.
Conditions: Sideshore texture/chop with NE winds 10-15mph.
Data Courtesy of NOAA.gov and SwellInfo.com
KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii (KHON) — A strange glow in the night sky over Hawaiʻi Island is raising eyebrows – and questions – after a Kona resident captured unusual green lights on camera over the weekend.
Jake Asuncion says he was filming sunset near Keahole Point when he unknowingly recorded the phenomenon. It wasn’t until he got home and reviewed the footage that he noticed a faint green glow appear in the sky.
“I got home, I was going to post it, and then towards the end of the video I saw the green come out—I said, what was that?” Asuncion said. He said he enhanced the color to show the movement.
Curious, he returned the following night—and saw it again.
“I wanted to go back the next night and see if I could capture the same thing—and it came out even more the second night,” he said.
He said the glow appeared roughly 15 to 20 minutes after sunset, looking northwest toward Maui. While faint to the naked eye, the green hue was more visible through his phone camera.
The sightings have caught the attention of local astronomers, including Nick Bradley with Stargazers of Hawaiʻi, who says the color resembles aurora, but likely isn’t.
“It looked very interesting. The green color looks like aurora, but honestly, we don’t really get that in Hawaiʻi,” Bradley explained.
Data from the weekend shows no significant geomagnetic storm activity that would produce aurora visible in the islands. The KP index—a measure used to track aurora strength—was only between 3 and 4. By comparison, a rare aurora visible in Hawaiʻi in 2024 required a KP index of 8.
Bradley says other common explanations don’t seem to match what was captured either.
“Satellites look like small pinpoint lights moving across the sky, we see them every night. This doesn’t look like that,” he said.
He also ruled out meteor showers, lasers, and the well-known “green flash” that sometimes occurs at sunset, noting the lights appeared well after the sun had already set and higher in the sky.
The Army said there were no lasers being used or any training in that area.
The Hawaii Department of Transportation said Kona airport used to have a laser bird hazing gun, but it was red and would not come close in scale to what is shown in the photos. Standard airport rotating beacons also would not have the scale as shown in the photos.
Keck Observatories suggest it could be STEVE or ‘strong thermal emissions velocity enhancement,’ which is similar to aurora but seen further south than aurora. But not as much is known about STEVE and it’s typically seen with aurora present.
Astronomers note that smartphone cameras can enhance colors in low-light conditions, meaning the green glow may appear brighter on video than in real life.
Still, the exact cause remains unknown — and experts are asking the public to keep an eye out and capture the moment if they can.
“I would love more eyes on it — more data, the better,” Bradley said.
As for Asuncion, he plans to keep watching the skies.
“I just appreciate the beauty of nature and whatever comes,” he said.
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