KEALAKEKUA BAY CLOSURE
(First posted April 30, 2007, reviewed 09/10/09)

Following the earthquake on October 15, 2006, and subsequent aftershocks, including the Thanksgiving Day 2006 quake, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, working with the U.S. Coast Guard, established a safety zone for the shore beneath the pali and a restricted zone within the waters and on the land at Kealakekua Bay. These portions of the bay and park remain closed for public safety.

Because Kealakekua Bay is visited by residents and tourists daily, DLNR enforcement officers were actively involved in educating visitors about the conditions in the area and maintaining a presence in the bay for public safety.

DOCARE has notified various kayak rental companies of the safety area in the bay and asked them to inform their customers of closed areas and to respect the closures.

 

Open and Closed areas:

For safety reasons, buoys have been placed to identify a restricted area along the waters below Pali Kapu O Keoua - no one may enter this area.

In addition, portions of Ka'awaloa remain closed. The immediate area around the Captain Cook Monument is open. The access road down to Ka'awaloa is open, however everything mauka of the road and coastal trail at the Captain Cook Monument remain closed.

Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park, within Kealakekua Bay, is the site of the first extensive contact between Hawaiians and Europeans with the arrival of Captain James Cook in 1779. It remains an important cultural area for native Hawaiians.

The park is open during daylight hours with its simple amenities of restrooms, picnic pavilion, trash cans, and drinking water.

Napo'opo'o landing and areas of the bay outside of the buoys marking the restricted area are accessible to boats, kayaks, snorkelers, and other forms of permitted ocean recreation within the bay.

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