Kona, Hawaii. Photo: Julianna Arjes/Unsplash
A historic district on the Kona Coast of Hawaii, Kahalu’u Bay is one of the best snorkeling destinations on the Big Island. The bay is protected by a fringing reef, which results in calm waters, making it a popular destination for not only snorkelers but scuba divers, swimmers, and fishermen. When the swell is up, the seaward edge of the reef on the outer edge of Kahalu’u Bay is a popular surf spot for experienced surfers.
According to Mission Blue, the bay is visited by approximately 400,000 people each year. Visitors are drawn to the crystalline waters and the biodiverse reef. In addition to the usual suspects, the bay is regularly visited by endangered and threatened species including Hawaiian monk seals, humpback whales, and green and hawksbill turtles.
From an environmental standpoint, the bay is heavily impacted by tourism as well as cesspools, runoff, sea level rise, and climate change. Luckily, there are organizations working to protect the bay. Cindi Punihaole, director of The Kohala Center’s Kahalu‘u Bay Education Center, and Christine Zalewski, president of Dear Ocean are working in tandem to protect and preserve the bay for future generations.
Founded in 2011, The Kohala Center’s Kahalu‘u Bay Education Center offers regular stewardship programs including an annual beach closure in mid May when the cauliflower corals spawn. To support their efforts, both organizations have developed partnerships with public and private partners, both non-profit and for-profit organizations, and the local government.
“Today, when younger people go into the bay, they still see beautiful tropical fish and coral, but they don’t have a reference point to understand how much the bay has changed from what it once was. We hope to help restore the bay back to that state as much as possible,” Zalewski told the Civil Beat.
Kahalu’u Bay was recently named a “hope spot” by Mission Blue. Mission Blue is a non-profit led by legendary oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle. The organization’s mission is to “inspire action to explore and protect the ocean.” According to Mission Blue, hope spots are special places that are scientifically identified as critical to the health of the ocean.
“[Kahalu’u Bay] has become a beacon of hope and a source of inspiration for the community,” Earle said in a news release. “It serves as a model for other smaller bays around the world and shows how they can also harness the deep relationships between people and the environment to protect these important marine ecosystems.”
