Waialea Bay also known as Beach 69 and the 35-acre bay will be closed for half days on Thursday, May 28 and Friday May 29 to allow corals to spawn and produce new keiki.

Waialea Bay will reopen at noon on Friday, May 28 , but biologists are hoping people will delay their ocean activities for another day or so, as it can take up to 24-hours for corals to successfully reproduce and up to a week or more for new larvae to settle back onto the reef

In a press release Christopher Teague, an aquatic biologist with the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR), said, “The absence of swimmers and snorkelers in the water during spawning will help best ensure successful reproduction.”

DAR staff and personnel from the DLNR Division of State Parks will be at Waialea both mornings to answer questions and to help educate people about coral spawning.