Commercial Vessels - Tour Boats

State Rules:

No commercial vessel shall load or unload passengers in Hanalei Bay ocean waters or the lands adjacent thereto without a permit issued by the department and approval by the County of Kauai.
All vessels authorized to load and unload passengers in Hanalei Bay ocean waters or the lands adjacent thereto shall travel to and from the beach only through a designated ingress/egress zone.
Permits shall be limited to passenger vessels certified by the Coast Guard to carry twenty-five or fewer passengers, and each permit shall authorize the carrying of no more than thirty passengers daily.

DOBOR has issued 5 Tour Companies permits for Hanalei Bay:

Na Pali Tours, Inc.
Blue Water Sailing, Inc.
Captain Sundown Enterprises
Na Pali Coast Hanalei
Na Pali Catamarans, aka Whitey’s Boat Cruises

Commercial Water Sports Instruction

For the purpose of this section, commercial water sports instruction or tours include, but are not limited to, commercial kayak tours, canoe rides, diving, snorkeling, parasailing, surfing, sailboarding and other water-related recreational activities.

State Rules:

No commercial water sports instruction or tours may be conducted in the Hanalei Bay ocean waters from the adjacent beaches without a permit from the department and approval by the County of Kauai.
The department may issue a total of up to 8 permits for commercial water sports instruction within the Hanalei Bay ocean waters, including surfing and stand-up paddle boarding. Each permit shall authorize one instructor per day to conduct water sports instruction.
The instructor shall have no more than 4 students at any given time. The instructor shall have a minimum of three 3 years surfing experience and possess a current Red Cross advanced life saving certificate.
The department may designate the site of instruction at Hanalei Bay and hours of operation for each permittee, and may change the site whenever such changes is found by the department to be necessary.

Eight permits have been issued Surf Schools:

Aloha Surf School
Hanalei Beach Boys
Hanalei Beach Girls
Hawaiian School of Surf
Hanalei Wave Riders
Northside Surf Riders
Rent a Local Kauai
Russell Lewis Surf Coaching

Kayak Tours

State Rules:

The department may issue up to two (2) commercial use permits for the Hanalei launch ramp for the purpose of conducting guided kayak tours in Hanalei Bay ocean waters.
The maximum number of passenger kayaks per trip per permit shall not exceed (8), and no more than thirty passengers shall be allowed per day under each permit.
A guide kayak shall be required for each group of eight passenger kayaks.

DOBOR has issued 2 Kayak Tour permits for Hanalei Bay:

Kayak Kauai
Kayak Hanalei