Kahalu‘u Beach Park will be closed to the public from May 28, 2021 to June 5, 2021, to enhance the spawning cycle of vulnerable cauliflower coral in Kahalu‘u Bay.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources (DLNR-DAR) and The Kohala Center (TKC), a nonprofit organization that administers the Kahaluʻu Bay Education Center (KBEC), are requesting the public’s cooperation to stay out of Kahaluʻu Bay during this critical time period.

“While the park is closed, we are asking everyone to avoid snorkeling or swimming in the bay,” said Cindi Punihaole, KBEC director in press release.

Generations of kilo, the Hawaiian practice of keen environmental observation, have provided critical knowledge about the timing of natural spawning cycles of cauliflower coral in Kahaluʻu Bay.  The County of Hawaiʻi has worked with TKC and community stewards over the past three years to close the park during specific moon phases in mid to late spring and to educate visitors about this natural phenomenon and the importance of minimizing disturbances to the corals during this time.

According to DLNR-DAR and Eyes of the Reef Network, cauliflower coral was once abundant on shallow coral reefs along West Hawaiʻi, including Kahaluʻu Bay. Environmental stressors and elevated ocean temperatures impacted West Hawaiʻi in 2015 and again in 2019, leading to the catastrophic bleaching and mortality of more than 90% of the cauliflower coral population in Kahaluʻu Bay.

For more information, please contact The Kohala Center at 808 887-6411.