Coral spawning prompts half-day closures at Waialea Bay
Two half-day closures of Waialea Bay, known locally as Beach 69, in South Kohala will be implemented Friday and Saturday for coral spawning.
The half-day closures at Waialea come on the heels of this month’s closures at Hawaii County’s Kahalu‘u Beach Park. During that spawning period, observers saw evidence of natural reproduction of cauliflower coral in Kahalu‘u Bay.
“The absence of swimmers and snorkelers in the water during spawning will help best ensure successful reproduction,” Christopher Teague, an aquatic biologist with the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources said.
Division of Aquatic Resources staff and personnel from the DLNR Division of State Parks will be at Waialea both mornings to answer questions and to help educate people about coral spawning.
Waialea Bay will reopen at noon this Friday and Saturday, but biologists are hoping people will delay their ocean activities for another day or so, as it can take up to 24 hours for corals to reproduce and up to a week or more for new larvae to settle back onto the reef.
OHA grant supports ‘Under the Kona Moon’ education program
La‘i ‘Opua 2020 has been awarded a $9,733 grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to hold “Ho‘okahua — Under the Kona Moon.”
The event will be videotaped, televised and shared on social media in September. The purpose of the event is to educate and connect Native Hawaiians to their culture through the sharing of stories, mele and memories by Hawaii Island kupuna, artisans and experts.
La‘i ‘Opua 2020 is a nonprofit organization with a mission to provide social, recreational, vocational, economical, educational, and cultural opportunities and infrastructure to communities in the Kealakehe ahupuaa.
“We are very grateful to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs for its support and belief in the importance of capturing these mini oral histories and preserving them for future generations,” said Kawehi Inaba, president of La‘i ‘Opua 2020.
For more information, visit www.laiopua.org.