It’s a different time for pristine Hanauma Bay. There are new rules and it is going to cost you more!
142 thoughts on “Hanauma Bay: New Rules and Limits, Increased Fees, Online Reservations Only”
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Home » Blog » Culture and Events » Hanauma Bay: New Rules and Limits, Increased Fees, Online Reservations Only
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.