It’s a different time for pristine Hanauma Bay. There are new rules and it is going to cost you more!
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142 thoughts on “Hanauma Bay: New Rules and Limits, Increased Fees, Online Reservations Only”
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It’s a different time for pristine Hanauma Bay. There are new rules and it is going to cost you more!
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Of course they rip off tourists and will keep raising prices so only the rich will go! Might as well go full Disney and totally screw families to support the out of control govt spending!
Not from me anymore. Hello Fla, here I come
Good points Kavika. Family vacations are going the way of the old station wagon. Unfortunately, Hawaii is becoming a playground for the wealthy.
It would seem to me that merely limiting the number of people to 720 per day would be sufficient without increasing the fee. If you have less people there, there should be less to clean up, right? With less people there than pre-Covid, it would seem that would have less of an impact on the marine life, too.
I know it seems if people can afford to fly to Hawaii, stay at a resort, rent cars, pay for activities, then they can afford these fees. After a while, the fees collectively become a significant amount. I am fortunate to have been to the island 7 times and will return for 3 months next winter. However, for some people, a trip to Hawaii is a once in a lifetime event, primarily due to the costs. Just doesn’t seem right to keep sticking it to the tourists.
This would be easier to swallow had they just limited the number of people allowed in. Glad the reefs improved during the pandemic. Aloha Hanauma Bay, it was nice knowing you.
actually no…since they implemented the reduced number (which by the way, less people does mean less trash but it also means less income..hence the price increase). The tickets are sold out within 1-2 mins of them posting as available. As a local its almost impossible to get a ticket. yes its free but it still takes a reservation. Since we work all week and weather is a factor, we have limited days to go if we can get a ticket.
My personal opinion is that this will backfire. There are lots of public places to snorkel. No family is going to pay $100 to snorkel here. Good luck, Hawaii. I’m not donating my hard earned vacation dollars to your failed policies, procedures, and mismanaged state budget shortfalls.
Having lived in Hawaii for over 25 years, I see nothing wrong with raising fees for visitors. Hanauma is a fragile fish environment and a very special park. I do think it might be prudent to change residents, students and children a fee as well as everyone benefits from Hanauma Bay. I suggest a tiered nominal fee for the groups mentioned. Love getting your emails, have shared them with many friends interested in visiting Hawaii.
Hi Yael.
Thanks for your support and first-time comment. We appreciate the input.
Aloha.
Why is it only the responsibility of the tourists to fund the parks/beaches? Its time to start charging Hawaiians huge fees when visiting the Mainland.
Amen! Start with the eighth island, Las Vegas
Hawaiians will get the idea real fast when it’s coming out of their pocket to visit$$$
I agree. All mainland states should institute fees like this that only charge fees to Hawaiian citizens.
way to take a “non resident” fee and make it personal like its only for a particular State. Sure just charge Hawaiians….makes total sense….well when you take it completely out of context and throw a tantrum like youre doing. I hear Disney is nice…please go there instead.
I think Hawaii may come to regret the fees it seems to be tacking on to an already expensive vacation. Once the pandemic panic is over, and people are able to travel abroad and to locations other than Hawaii, tourists may choose not to visit the state. I’m sure the locals appreciated having the islands to themselves during the lockdowns, but the state depends on tourist dollars, especially for its social programs. At some point they may have to rethink this policy. Having just returned, and having experienced the huge numbers of tourists traveling, especially to the Waikiki area, I can sympathize with the locals (our son is one of them), but the reality is that tourism is the major money maker for Hawaii, and the locals will have to deal with it or force their politicians to attract other income sources to the islands.
Thanks to BOH for keeping us up to date. You were really helpful in planning our recent trip.
Hi Lee.
Thanks for your more than 70 comments over the past 5 years! We appreciate your input.
Aloha.
My family and I go to Hawaii (per pandemic). That unfortunately has changed, it’s not the money, it’s the fact that Hawaii no longer values us as tourists. Going forward, we will only visit places like Mexico and Italy because they still want us. We will also continue to make most of our travels here in the US.
First nothing is free in life, somewhere everyone pays. I set on a parks board in Oregon. Parks and recreation are a line item in the cities budget as it should be. Invest in your parks bring in revenue to the city for other services. If you want to tax tourist do it as a whole not a select fee. Call it a destination tax if you need. As many tourist come to the islands a 1% tax would generate more than enough. There are many ways to generate revenue and still make coming to Hawaii affordable. Just dont price us tourist too much or we will look for alternative destinations.
Aloha Guys
I have no problems with the increased fees. It would seem that’s the american system of doing business.
My husband and I went to Hanauma Bay maybe 10 years ago and it was both one of the most spectacular snorkeling experiences we’ve ever had in the world, and frustrating because there were too many people there with us. You had to be really careful to not get wiped out by another snorkeler! Because of that, we decided we likely would never go again. At the time, unfortunately, we weren’t even mindful of the damage we and others were likely inflicting on this beautiful treasure because of over-crowding (and sunscreen issues). I’m actually happy to hear about restrictions in number of visitors allowed into the bay each day thru a reservation system, and it seems the increased fee is a necessary part of restrictions as well as funding the park’s preservation. Yes it’s pricey, but seems necessary. Thank you for reporting on this!
Hi Glenna.
Thanks for your candid input on Hanauma Bay.
Aloha.
I think if a family can afford to pay THOUSANDS of dollars to fly, stay and eat on islands, they can pay to visit the pristine sights and help pay for the workers that have to clean up and maintain the safety of the animals that need the beach/waters to live!
AMBER P…. Some families scrimp and save for years for this to be a once in a lifetime trip for their family. To create costs that are prohibitive for families like that – nonetheless, for most of us!!! – is not a wise decision. Protect the environment – YES – but there are other ways to do it other than price gouging!
I save my money for trips to Hawaii. It is just 2 of us. We don’t go there every year or even every other year. I choose bargain lodging, buy minimal souvenirs, eat only 2 meals a day, cheapest car rental/air flights I can find, etc. If this fee at this beach goes well, the tourists fees won’t stop. Hawaii will add fees to every beach or sight. Plus the $100 a person tourist fee on your airline ticket that are talking about. Ridiculous. Many other places to visit. Maybe I will fall in love with the Caribbean. I’m sick of Hawaii’s gouging of tourists. Live in poverty in Hawaii. I don’t care. It is obvious that Hawaii doesn’t respect the tourists that basically pay for their islands.
Before they start charging a $100.00 tourist fee they better check the legality of charging US citizens a fee to go to another state. The Constitution says we can travel to each state freely. If it’s added to the airline ticket, people might think more than twice about visiting Hawaii.
I like how youre more than ok with lashing out at the people of a State and not the government. “live in poverty in Hawaii. I dont care”. nice. So sorry the people who LIVE and struggle here didnt fight harder for your “vacation rights”
If the local government were wise with their spending, I could almost justify these fees. Sadly, our government has no clue how to budget or prioritize spending projects. To gouge tourists at every corner is not the way to go. Kauai’s mayor said he didn’t want the “coupon clipper” tourist. Having lived 4 years in Ewa Beach & now 7 in Volcano on Hawaii Island, I can tell you these people spend more than the rich. For them, it’s a one trip and done, they want to spend wisely. Destroying their budgets with all these fees is just wrong.
Cabo San Lucas is a shorter flight anyway. I’ll just go there.
I’m certainly NOT going to pay $25. I’m not sure why Hawaii thinks to “STICK IT TO THE TOURIST” – that’s $100 for a family of 4. Their taxes on accommodations just keeps going up and up – it only costs $10 in Mexico to get a covid test to fly back to the states and it’s MUCH cheaper to have a vacation in Mexico.
Kids under 12 are free, says the article.
Mahalo, BOH, so glad the bay is being maintained and will be available for the future.
These increases are NOT to balance the budget. Haunauma Bay is a pristine bay on Oahu which partially recovered during the pandemic. Why? Because humans were kept out. Some coral and marine life rebounded, but unfortunately, the closure was not long enough for the bay to fully recover. For the past 100 years, humans have trampled and abused Hawaii’s beauty almost to death. It’s up to the individual whether or not they want to pay the fee. btw…you can also get beautiful pictures from the road.
Aloha
But it won’t stop with the fees on this bay. Hawaii will add them to every beach. Just wait and see.
You guys ever heard the fairy tale about ‘killing the goose that laid the golden egg’? The anti tourist sentiment, along with the obvious intent to have tourists make up for the disastrous mismanagement of the outbreak, are going to be fatal to the industry that feeds you.
Aloha,
This is ridiculous and just another way for the Hawaiian government to point their sleepy fingers elsewhere besides themselves!!! There’s a easy solution to the over congestion of tourism in Hawaii, have the airlines provide less flights!!! Limit the number of people coming into Hawaii without raping their wallets!!!
Add Hanauma Bay to the checklist of places I will never visit if these astronomical fees continue to damper an already increasing amount of money needed to hand over to visit somewhere I’ve been a number of times!!!
I’m in total agreement here. This will backfire, as well it should. Sad for the residents who have to live with this awful government. Hawaii is my favorite place on earth, but they clearly want tourism dollars without the tourism.
Get a grip, people! I’ve traveled all over the world and there are many places that charge high fees to see something that one can only see there. Ever been to Machu Picchu or the Galapagos Islands? It’s going to cost you a lot more than a $25 entry fee to get into places like that. Hanauma Bay is the same one-of-a-kind place. It needs to be protected and one way to do that is to limit the number of people that can get in each day. Another way is to raise the prices so people have to think twice before they go there for the day. If you’ve already been to Hanauma Bay, then you’ve seen it and you don’t need to go back. If it’s something you really want to experience, then pay the fee and stop whining. Or go to any of the other places on the islands where you can snorkel for free. Our world is changing and mass tourism is not helping. I get that Hawaii is one of the safest places in the world to travel now. Covid is going crazy in Mexico and the Caribbean islands are not far behind. Most people cannot afford to go to French Polynesia. So zip it up, come to Hawaii and enjoy the beauty and the culture but please don’t complain about the prices. Every time a visitor says “I’m not going to come back to Hawaii anymore”, it just makes me feel like there will be more room for the visitor that takes his or her place. We’ve got enough visitors for us residents to let a few of them stay home this year or every year. Believe me, there will always be plenty of tourists who want to come to Hawaii without whining.
YVONNE J…AMEN!
Aloha all, I love Hanauma Bay, but no, I wouldn’t pay $25 to go there – a 50% hike in fees really does feel like gouging to me. I could see a couple dollar increase as “doable” – but double? Sorry, that’s a no go. Glad I went, but for $25 I don’t need to do it again.
There was a 20 year period of time when Hawaii cost more for us to go to than a cruise to the Caribbean, or an all-inclusive in Mexico, so my friends and I did those…then it seemed to change and it cost about the same, so the islands were back on the list of vacation spots for us. In the past 10 years we’ve been to each (habited) island, sometimes as many as 3x a year, and never for less than 10 days at a time. We adore Hawaii. Everything about it, and every island. We spend money when we’re there, supporting local (tour and other) companies, eateries (no chains for us), and more. Between the car rental debacle, and these arbitrary tourist fees, I feel like we’re getting priced out again…We have 2 Hawaii trips already booked and committed to, Sept 2021, and Feb 2022, this morning it feels like these may be the last for quite some time. That makes me sad.
I grew up and lived on Oahu most of my life but now live on the mainland. When I want to come home and go to my old hangouts, Hanauma Bay will not be one of them. Though I understand the price hike and the need for preservation, I will simply go to other beaches. I watched from my own childhood, into my adulthood, and then into my children’s adulthood the horrible decline of the preserve. If tourists are willing to pay the horrific price for admission, then so be it. But for a local, with no Hawaii driver’s license, to pay that kind of money, is just not possible. If these restrictions allows for the coral and fish to return to the Bay, then future generations will be able to enjoy the Bay as I did some 50 years ago.
I’m for the increase for the tourists and am pleased the residents can get in for free! I grew up on Oahu, my family still lives there. I remember swimming in Hanauma Bay and walking around the point to the bowl..We used to walk up from Hawaii Kai in the early morning, everything was pristine… the last time I came home in 2016 I was appalled by the trash left, the crowds.. etc. Hanauma is a jewel and should be kept that way. It takes money to upkeep a jewel. I probably will never go back to swim in the bay and that is ok as there are other places to swim.
Cheers,
Teri S.
I applaud the conservation measures taken to insure the health of Hanaluma Bay. I do think the $25 fee, for a public space, will disproportionately benefit the wealthy, and is a missed opportunity to educate people from different financial backgrounds of the importance of nature preservation.
It makes sense for a ton of reasons – the primary one is most residents don’t go anyway. Tons of other local beaches to visit with friends and family. It costs a lot to keep the Bay clean and healthy. I first went to the Bay in 1963. Since then I have visited 2 dozen times and each one a little worst than the last because of tourists’ complete disregard of common sense. 25 dollars is a lot but should also include the rules – the Bay doesn’t belong to the tourists it belongs to the coral and fish. They should respect it like it did belong to them. So for me, 25 dollars is a lot, I see that, if too much, stay at the beaches in Waikiki.
Aloha and Mahalo BOH Team for all you do to keep us informed!
I echo Andy M’s thoughts. On my first visit to Oahu over 20 years ago, I visited Hanauma Bay and was entranced by what i saw…. Beautiful coral reefs teeming with sea anemone, urchins, and fish too numerous to count; clear blue waters; relatively few visitors. We took special care while snorkeling to avoid touching the coral in the shallow water. We were in awe of the beauty just below. Words cannot describe just how amazing it was! In all my travels in 13 countries, I’d never seen anything more pristine and naturally beautiful than Hanauma Bay!!
Fast forward 16 years when i was blessed to move from the mainland to the island of Maui. The following month i flew to Oahu and once again visited my beloved Hanauma Bay. My heart immediately sank — the crowds were overflowing the beaches, scores of people were walking in the water no doubt crushing the coral. This time when i snorkeled, the beautiful sealife was depleted, few fish remained. The coral was crushed and bleached. It was devastating!!
I support to entrance fee hike. I no longer live on the islands, so i, too, would have to pay $25. I don’t mind. My hope is the limited number of visitors to the bay will allow the marine life the chance to heal. Only with strict conservation efforts, will this once breathtaking bay have a chance to regenerate and once again be the awe-inspiring slice of heaven it was 20 years ago!
Hi Lisa.
Thanks for sharing your experience and feedback on Hanauma Bay!
Aloha.
Very concerned with the reservation system. Tour groups can take this over limiting to single visitors
Another CRAZY increase. I’ll not return. Very sad.
Increase fees to help? Definitely. But double. So stupid.
It’s seems like the COVID shutdown gave Hawaii a better look at just how much tourists can affect the land. It’s nice to see a place putting the environment as a priority. As a tourist, it’s not fun to see fees but then I remember why I go to Hawaii, it is because they have given such great respect to the land and it shows in their beautiful paradise. I just hope the fees work and do go back to conservation efforts. 🙂
Why shouldn’t locals have to pay ? They are human beings too & have the same impact on the environment at visitors. This reasoning is very flawed. Locals still have the same carbon footprint as visitors. Instead of “no fee” for locals maybe they should charge them a reduced fee to help maintain the environment.
I guess Hawaii is not hurting that bad for visitors with all the increase fees everywhere
I don’t mind the increase in fee. The last time we were there 2 years ago, it was so totally overcrowded it wasn’t enjoyable. A treasure like Hanauma Bay needs to be protected and if fees limit the number of people, so be it.
Aloha, BOH
Hi Ed.
Thanks again for so many comments, and for sharing the experience from your recent visit to Hanauma Bay.
Aloha.
Why not close the bay for another year, or more to fully give this treasure time to heal. It’s had decades of abuse.
Why not open to public one weekend day, then 2x week. Charge more $$…for real. Seriously, this place is better than any helicopter tour, or sunset cruise; this is an experience of a lifetime.
Walk the talk Hawaii. Quit putting bandaids on something that is in critical condition of deterioration. Don’t wait for the total collapse.
Thank you for the great information! Do you know what time the reservations open for the next day? I want to make sure to get reservations so my kids can visit Hanauma Bay for their first time snorkeling! Thank you so much.
Hi Becky.
No, we don’t know for sure, but perhaps someone else can lend a hand in the comments.
Aloha.
Hi Becky,
My family and I just visited Hanauma Bay last week. Reservations can be made beginning at 7 am 48 hours before you intend to visit. They go extremely quickly. You have to be on the website exactly at 7 am with speedy hands to even have a chance at getting a reservation 48 hours out. I wasn’t able to get one on my first attempt, but tried again the following day and was successful. Good luck!
Hi Becky – I was just on the site, this is how it works: This system will allow the public to select an educational viewing show time two days ahead of their planned visit to the nature preserve. For instance, beginning Monday at 7 a.m. Hawai‘i Standard Time (HST) the public can begin reserving a time slot for Wednesday.
We’re going on July 10th so was trying to see how far out we could reserve. 2 days in advance and it goes fast. This should be interesting.
Good luck!
Becky C
I read your emails regularly. It would be fantastic if you highlighted which island you were specifically speaking about in your opening article. Hanuama Bay article is well written, but until I read the comments I had know clue which island it was on. Sorry, new to the geographic areas of Hawaii.
Hi Lyn.
Thanks for your first-time comment. Good suggestion and we’ll try to do that.
Aloha.
On our first trip to Waikiki some 24 years ago, we spent time in beautiful Hanauma Bay marveling at the fish and the crystal clear water. Fast forward to 6 years ago when were back in Honolulu for a wedding and we couldn’t believe the changes. Almost no fish, cloudy water and tourists that didn’t care that they were walking all over the coral reef. It’s unfortunate that its taken a pandemic to help restore Hanauma Bay. Now being a resident of Hawaii, I am encouraged that the state is doing what it can to control access and keep Hanauma Bay looking beautiful and maintaining this fragile ecosystem.
I love that there is such a positive side to Covid with Earth’s chance to purge and cleanse itself! And the banning of toxic sunscreens is great to see!
I took a friend there last week. We walked up as they did not have a good system yet for getting people in (they were alternating cars and walk ups) we did not have a very long wait to get in. The video is viewed indoors while standing 6 feet apart. The beach was not crowded and the fish were abundant. Lots of sea cucumbers too! The new system sounds pretty good since there was plenty of empty parking spaces when we were.
Aloha Rob/Jeff!
Hanauma Bay was my favorite place to go as a kid. I would snorkel the entire day, which was more like 4 hours or so, because we were “forced” to come out of the water to eat lunch and rest afterward. That was when it was no where near as crowded, and you would stay from around 9-10 am until around 3-4, which was long before there was barely room on the beach to sit. I would literally have a two-tone tan, at day’s end, darker on my backside! 😂 Oh, the good times we had in the mid 70’s to early 80’s!
The last time I was there a few years ago (the first time in at least 20 years), I took my wife for her first time. It was extremely overcrowded. The water was horribly cloudy, and there were very few fish, because there were far too many people swimming and splashing, as well as snorkelers running into each other at times, and (if that wasn’t bad enough) it was miserably hot! There were more feral cats than mongoose, who were all apparently buddies, which wasn’t supposed to be the case, and the only picturesque view was from the top before you paid for beach access.
Sadly, it was absolutely the worst beach experience we had on that trip, and after I bragged to her about the beauty and how great the snorkeling was. Yeah, it was beautiful…from afar, but that was it.
It was a huge letdown for me, because it wasn’t that bad 20 years ago, and also for her, because it didn’t live up to expectations, based on how I “talked it up”. The only saving grace was the final view and picture taken of us at the top (bay and beach in the background), when we swapped taking pics with another couple, as we left.
I’m happy to see/hear that closing the beach for nine months has started restoring the marine ecosystem, and that they’re further limiting people and banning bad sunscreen. We decided we would never go back, but if it continues improving, maybe we’ll give it one more go, and have the experience I/we expected.
Mahalo for this encouraging news, Guys! 😃
Hi Jim.
Thanks for sharing your Hanauma Bay childhood experiences. We concur that it would be nice to return again now that things have improved, and hopefully, they will continue to get better.
Aloha.
Now is the time for visitors and residents to rediscover Waikiki,Hanaums Bay,Oahu-in my mind it’s the most beautiful,diverse,welcoming island.
When I was scuba diving I would make my own 1/4 inch wet suits snd my weight belts too. One day I went to Hanauma Bay to check out a new suit and weight belt I had made. I walked out to the edge of the reef where the depth suddenly drops to about 60 feet. All went well until I plunged into the deep water. I dropped like a rock! But that was not the problem. The problem was I forgot to purge my regulater, lol. I quickly released my weithts and up I went, rather fast I might add. Anyway, after all the fixes were made I would go in the waters to poke fish. and there were plenty of ’em. All the fish I poked was for eating as I was poor and fish was always in our diet. But after a while, the fish got smart and started to abandon the Bay. Many years later, I became a cop with HPD. (after graduating from UH Manoa. I loved to cite cars that would drive down and park cause the driver or owner was to lazy to walk up the road. Now that the Bay has been closed for about 9 months and with all its restrictions, it’s good to see it going back to its former self. Thank you for reading my rather long story.
Hi Eddie.
Thanks for sharing your story and for your many comments.
Aloha.
We have been on Maui since 11/28. Last week we heard the 3 employees of Leilants near Whaler tested positive causing closure for several days.
Our daughter just heard the an employee at Merimans Napili area tested pos.
Has anyone heard more on this?
Sorry to post here but unclear where else to post.
Met my husband 31 years ago there, we snorked in April 1989 and I saw almost no fish. Fully support the efforts to limit visitors and banning the sunscreen with chemicals.
The best sunscreen we have ever used is Blue Lizard. After having used SunBum once when I didn’t allow enough time to order my Blue Lizard (and on line was the only way you could get it at that time), I developed a skin cancer. Blue Lizard was recommended to us by three different dermatologists in three separate practices. As of two years ago, Blue Lizard carries a red circular “Reef Safe” logo which states specifically it does not have the two offensive ingredients. You can usually find it at Walmart but we haven’t looked elsewhere because we just order on line. It’s a bit more $$$ than the drug store stuff but it spreads extremely well. (Remember – spray on sunscreens aren’t worth the $$$ you spend!)
Barbara, I never use sunscreens (not required on dark skinned people, lol) But when I did buy for family I would get No Ad. I heard it was ideal to use while on a beach. And cheap too! But I don’t know if it has those dangerous sunscreen chemicals.