The Healing Of Hawaii's Famous Hanauma Bay Is One Of The Few Bright Spots Of This Crisis
By Megan Shute|Published April 22, 2020
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Megan Shute
Author
With more than 10 years of experience as a professional writer, Megan holds a degree in Mass Media from her home state of Minnesota. After college, she chose to trade in her winter boots for slippahs and moved to the beautiful island of Oahu, where she has been living for more than five years. She lives on the west side but is constantly taking mini-road trips across the island and visits the neighboring islands whenever she can getaway. She loves hiking, snorkeling, locally-grown coffee, and finding the best acai bowl on Oahu.
Snorkeling is perhaps the most popular — and quintessential — Hawaiian activity. With warm water and islands surrounded by magnificent reef ecosystems, Hawaii is a snorkeler’s paradise and there’s no attraction more famous than Oahu’s striking Hanauma Bay. The snorkeling destination is typically open six days a week but was closed on March 16, 2020, until further notice due to COVID-19, giving its marine residents some much-needed time to heal.
Located on Oahu’s southeastern shore, the Hanauma Bay Marine Life Conservation District was formed from a volcanic tuff cone and is perhaps the Aloha State’s most popular snorkeling destination for tourists and locals alike.
Hanauma Bay welcomes approximately 3,000 visitors each day, and while we love that we can share this natural wonder with the world, we also appreciate that it’s been given time to heal amidst this global crisis.
An estimated 400 species of tropical fish live in this stunning, crescent-shaped bay with crystalline turquoise waters, and according to the Honolulu Civil Beat, scientists have already seen signs of fish coming out of hiding.
Fragile marine ecosystems across the Hawaiian Islands are impacted heavily by recreational activities such as swimming, diving, and snorkeling — particularly considering the astonishing growth of the state’s tourism industry.
Typically, it’s difficult to study the relationship between the hoards of tourists flocking to Hawaii’s nearshore waters and various forms of environmental degradation that scientists are attempting to document.
This is especially tough when rising ocean temperatures, stormwater runoff, coral bleaching and more are also in play.
But right now, scientists have the rare opportunity to study marine environment changes with zero human impacts and again once the park is reopened to the public.
Past research suggests that human disturbance can cause coral breakage and disrupt fish feeding behaviors, so it will be interesting to see how things change at Hanauma Bay during the closure.
The longer this county park that draws approximately 850,000 visitors annually remains closed, the longer scientists can study the effects of human activity on this fragile ecosystem.
While we can’t wait for life to return to "normal" again, we also love knowing that these closures have healing potential when it comes to one of our state’s greatest natural wonders.
For more information about Hanauma Bay, visit their website. Have you ever visited this natural oasis before? Are you looking forward to visiting again once this Marine Life Conservation District is reopened? Share your experience with us in the comments below.
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