Hanalei Water Activities Rules
Tow-in Surfing
Tow-in surfing in Hawaii may only be conducted during periods of high surf warning as declared by the National Weather Service.
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State Rules:
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Only thrill craft (jet ski) can be used;
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All thrill craft must be recorded with DLNR using appropriate forms;
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Tow-in surfing decals must be displayed on front half of vessel;
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Thrill craft operators and tow-in-surfers must complete the thrill craft certification course; and are required to possess, and make available upon demand of enforcement personnel, a certificate of course completion.
When operating a thrill craft for tow-in surfing, all operators shall:
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Carry on board a two-way communicating device;
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Tow-in a maximum of one person at any one time;
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Carry dive fins and a safety knife on their person; and
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Yield right of way to all other boating or ocean recreation activities by leaving the same surfing break area and remaining a minimum of one thousand feet from the other activities.
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Thrill Craft / Jet Ski
Thrill craft may also be called jet skis or Personal Water Craft (PWC)
State Rules:
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Must be 15 years old to operate;
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No thrill craft within Marine Life Conservation Districts (MLCDs) or Natural Area Reserves (NARs);
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Must take and pass the required thrill craft operator course and carry certificate;
Thrill craft may operate in designated zones w/in Ocean Recreation Management Areas; and beyond 500 feet from shore or outer edge of the fringing reef in a non-designated ORMA, out to a distance of 2 miles off of Kauai; Commercial thrill craft operations need a Commercial Operating Area Use permit.
See DOBOR website for additional information
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E-Foil
State Rules:
HAWAI`I STATE RULES, AN EFOIL IS:
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a vessel, and should be registered;
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not a thrill craft;
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subject to carriage requirements for a class a vessel like a sup (away from a surf break);
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required to comply with all rules and regulations that apply to vessels, including speed regulations, operation in proximity to marine animals, prohibited areas.
NOTE: No person shall operate a vessel at a speed in excess of "slow-no-wake" within 500 feet of the shoreline, an ingress/egress zone, designated mooring area, or on the Hanalei River and within 300 feet of a diver' s flag or a designated swimming area.
Diving
Snorkeling, Spearfishing, free diving, SCUBA diving
State Rules:
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These activities require use of a dive flag.
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Diver must mark position with a dive flag while diving and may not surface more than 100 ft from dive flag (except in emergency). Divers in water flag 12” x 12” Red and white.
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Swimming & Swim Zones
Swimming Zones B-1 and B-2, Hanalei Bay ocean waters.
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Swim zone areas confined by the boundaries shown in swim area map:
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Zone B-1 swimming area extends three hundred feet seaward of the low water mark for a distance of three hundred feet on each side of Hanalei Pier.
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Zone B-2 swimming area extends three hundred feet seaward of the low water mark between the extended boundary lines of the county park containing the beach pavilion.
Restriction. Zones B-1 and B-2 are designated for bathing and swimming. No person shall operate or moor a vessel, sailboard, or any other recreation device within Zones B-1 and B-2, provided that this restriction shall not apply to:
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Vessels engaged in small-scale surround net fishing without the use of motors or fishing and crabbing from shore;
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Hawaiian design outrigger canoes.
Wind & Kite Surfing
Certain areas are designated for windsurfing, see DOBOR website
State Rules:
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Ingress/egress to the shoreline must be the most direct route;
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Maneuvering must adhere to same ‘rules of the road’ as a sailing vessel;
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Sailboard operators shall approach no closer than 200 feet to a dive flag.
Parasailing
State Rules:
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Commercial parasailing operators must have a Commercial Operating Area Use Permit;
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Only one parasail may be in use at a time per vessel;
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Parasailing vessels may not operate within 500 feet of the Hanalei shoreline;
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Parasailing may be restricted in certain areas and/or at certain times such as humpback whale season;