If you plan to enjoy the marine wildlife around our island by OBSERVING, we recommend that you follow the guidelines that we have put together for you below. If you plan to remove some of our marine life for CONSUMPTION, we urge you to be aware of the regulations affecting Marine Protected Areas and reef species, including size restrictions and size limits. Also review the Best Practices, some of which were practiced by Hawaiians.

Watchable Wildlife Marine Wildlife Viewing Guidelines
Snorkeling and SCUBA Diving
Whale and Dolphin Watching
Boating and Kayaking
Recreational Fishing

We recommend following the Watchable Wildlife Marine Wildlife Viewing Guidelines while visiting our reefs and other marine areas. They promote observing nature from a distance without interfering with or affecting it directly, and include:

Learn before you go.

Keep your distance.

Hands off.

Do not feed or attract marine wildlife.

Never chase or harass wildlife.

Stay away from wildlife that appears abandoned or sick.

These guidelines are designed to enable you to stay safe while enjoying marine life without causing harm or disturbance. Irresponsible human behavior can cause animals to leave traditional home ranges, resting areas (haul out beaches or protected bays), and daily haunts. Effects can either be temporary or permanent, not only reducing the ability of the animals to fend for themselves, but also other people’s ability to enjoy them in the future.

Snorkeling and SCUBA Diving

Coral reefs are some of the most productive ecosystems in the world, rivaling even the tropical rainforest in species richness and level of biological production. However, coral reefs are fragile habitats facing numerous human made challenges, both here in Hawai`i and around the world. The basis for this ecosystem, the coral polyp, is very slow growing, so damage to the coral itself can take decades to undo. Some coral species are more fragile than others, with long, narrow branches. To be an eco-friendly visitor to these reefs, whether by snorkel or SCUBA, without causing damage, please follow these Best Practices:

Be sure that you are comfortable with your equipment before entering the ocean.

Enter the water without walking over coral.

Stay horizontal and above the bottom while over the reef.

Make sure your fins are not causing damage by touching corals or stirring up sand.

Never touch corals; even slight contact can cause harm.

Don’t touch, handle or feed marine life except under expert guidance following local guidelines.

Additional Guidelines for Snorkeling and SCUBA on Coral Reefs

Sustainable Diving & Snorkeling Guidelines (Hawaii Coral Reef Network) www.projectsealink.org/pages/reef_report/guidelines.html

The following PDF files were developed by CORAL as ‘Good Environmental Practice’ guidelines for snorkeling and SCUBA on coral reefs.

Whale and Dolphin Watching

Whales and dolphins are marine mammals and spectacular members of our marine wildlife. Some, like the spinner and spotted dolphins and pilot whales, are year-around residents, while others, like humpback whales are seasonal visitors. They are all protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), and some by the Endangered Species Act, making it illegal to approach humpback whales any closer than 100 yards and to harass dolphins. However, with no specific distance limit provided, it has become increasingly common to adopt the 100 yard limit for dolphins as well. It is important to remember that these are wild animals that spend all or part of their life close to our shores.

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) believes that attempting to swim with, pet, touch or elicit a reaction from whales and dolphins constitute ‘harassment’ as defined in the MMPA, since they involve acts of pursuit, torment or annoyance that have the potential to injure or disrupt the behavioral patterns of wild marine mammals. So do not attempt to swim with dolphins or whales. See the following links for the Office of Protected Resources General Marine Mammal Viewing Guidelines, Viewing Guidelines Specific to Hawaii, and their “Protect Dolphin” Campaign

Spinner Dolphins and Pilot Whales rest during the day, making them especially vulnerable to disturbance, and should be left alone between at least 9 AM and 3 PM . To minimize the chance of disturbing these animals, please follow these Best Practices (see below for specific guidelines for spinner dolphins ):

By observing animals from shore you will ensure that you have absolutely no impact.

Never touch or feed any marine mammal.

Never approach an animal or school head-on.

Never follow animal(s) from behind, they may react as if being chased.

Never approach closer than 100 yards from a boat, kayak, surfboard, or while swimming.

Specific guidelines for vessels

Stay on a parallel course with the animal(s).

Make sure that no more than two vessels are staying with the same group of animals.

Stay at or below no-wake speed.

Don’t trap the animal(s) between vessels or against points of land.

Do not drive through dolphin schools to encourage bow riding; only a small portion of the school may try to bow-ride, while the rest of the school is trying to stay away.

Specific Guidelines for watching Spinner Dolphins from a vessel

Spinner dolphins rest during the day, so they should be left alone when in their resting areas. These are generally protected bays, but could be anywhere along the coast when they show signs of resting – swimming back and forth in one area (milling), or swimming slowly in a tight group with little to no splashing or leaping.

You can attempt to carefully approach the school, if it is early in the morning (before 9), or late in the afternoon (after 3) and the school is moving along the coast in several discernible subgroups, with occasional aerial behaviors. Carefully approach the school to a position 100 to 200 yards away for closer viewing, following these guidelines:

Be very careful with moving the engine(s) in and out of gear, or drastically changing speed; any sudden changes in engines noise can disturb the animals.

The school will become aware of you trying to approach them AS SOON AS you change the course and/or speed of the boat within ½ - 1 mile of the school, and will react by swimming faster, and surfacing higher in the water (high surfacings).

Always approach a spinner school from the offshore side, start at least 2-300 yards away.

Always parallel the last subgroup in the school (there will often be 2-3 subgroups).

Use the front of the school as an indicator of where the rest of the school will go.

After first paralleling the school, hold your position 2-300 yards offshore for 10+ minutes to give the school time to get used to your presence and settle down.

Observe the difference in their behavior.

Hold you position or back off if any indication of a disturbed school is observed, such as an increase in the number of aerial behavior (slapping, breaching, jumping, leaping, porpoising), increased swim speed, or animals surfacing higher than normal in the water, showing the light gray side stripe - a relatively subtle indication of a disturbed school labeled “High Surfacing”.

Do not attempt to swim with the dolphins since this constitute ‘harassment’ according to NMFS

Additional Guideline Resources for Whale and Dolphin Watching

Alaska Marine Mammal Viewing Guidelines and Regulations (NMFS, Alaska Regional Office)

Cetacean watching Code of Conduct (Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society)

Best Practices Guidelines for Whale Watching (Whale Watch Operators Northwest)

Soundwatch boater education program Best Practices for Whale watching (The Whale Museum)

Boating and Kayaking

When using any type of vessel, whether kayak, powerboat, sailboat or personal water craft (jetski), you need to be careful not to cause damage inadvertently. So first make sure that you are comfortable handling the vessel before going near any sensitive areas, such as coral reefs. Follow the guidelines below to reduce the impact as much as possible.

Boating

While on the water

Familiarize yourself with the color changes of increasingly shallow water so you avoid damage to reefs, to your boat and to those on board.

If your vessel is equipped with a depth finder, use it to avoid running aground.

Be on the lookout for protected species, including turtles, whales, dolphins and seals. Keep proper distances and follow the viewing guidelines.

Secure all trash on the vessel and dispose of it in proper containers on shore. If your trash ends up in the water, it can cause severe damage and even kill.

Use mooring buoys whenever possible; Anchor only in sand, never in coral.

Vessel Maintenance

Keep boat engines properly maintained to minimize petroleum product pollution.

Recycle all motor oil; for further instructions and oil recycling locations on the Big Island see http://www.recyclehawaii.org/oil.htm. Slip owners at Honokohau Harbor can also recycle used motor oil at the DOBOR office.

Use non-toxic cleansers for clean-up, such as Simple Green or anti-bacterial soaps.

Kayaking - these guidelines are presented by KAI, the Kayak Alliance of the Islands, consisting of four companies renting kayaks and offering guided kayak tours, and developed partly in conjunction with the former South Kona Community Forum, a group of citizens and commercial tour operators.

P.A.D.D.L.E. CAREFULLY

P ractice wilderness etiquette: leave no litter, pick up any trash, and use the park restroom before your trip!

A ct like a proper guest in these bays rich in history and modern life. View Hawaiian sites with respect and take or touch nothing.

D olphins are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. These bays are where Hawaiian spinner dolphins, nai`a, come to rest and breed.

D o enjoy the beautiful fish but refrain from feeding them, or stepping on or touching coral.

L aunch and land only at safe, permitted areas. Lift your boat up to avoid leaving plastic scrapings on the rocks.

L eave all coral alone, no hands or feet on coral please!

E xercise caution: hazards include wind, hot sun, strong surf, slippery rocks, and other hazards,

E njoy paddling and paddle safely!

Recreational Fishing