1-year plan would limit stand-up paddleboards

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources will hold a public meeting Wednesday to discuss a proposed one-year pilot project to regulate the use of stand-up paddleboards at certain surf breaks on Oahu’s South Shore.

The 5:30 p.m. meeting is scheduled to be held at Jefferson Elementary School, 342 Kapahulu Ave. DLNR encourages ocean users to attend to provide feedback.

The plan would prohibit stand-up paddleboards or SUPs as well as surf kayaks and all other paddle-propelled watercraft at designated surf zones from 3 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Under the proposal, a surf zone "would be defined as any location within 25 yards of a breaking wave that is at least 2 feet tall or higher on its face." The proposed regulation would apply to the Tennis Courts, Concessions and Kewalos surf zones. It would not apply within the lagoon at Ala Moana Beach Park.

Safe Surf Hawaii, described in a website as a group made up of surfers, bodyboarders and bodysurfers, supports implementing rules to regulate SUPs at surf zones. The group claims there are safety and "wave-hogging" problems caused by the SUPs at the zones.

DLNR Chairman William Ailasaid Safe Surf Hawaii asked the department to hold a public meeting on the plan. "If the concept gains wide support, the department may consider rulemaking as a way to formalize the plan. However, the support would need to be nearly unanimous among all users," Aila said in a news release.

Though Safe Surf Hawaii’s website points out that there are many safe and courteous stand-up paddlers, the project addresses unsafe and discourteous stand-up paddlers and the growing presence of SUPs at surf spots.

Timothy MacMaster of Safe Surf Hawaii, who is believed to be heading efforts to regulate SUPs, could not be reached for comment.

In a phone interview Tuesday, Aila said he has received complaints solely from the leader of the group regarding safety concerns.

DLNR faced a similar challenge about four years ago when ocean user groups asked for the department to ban the use of paddleboards at Ala Moana Beach Park. Instead of creating a rule, the department installed a series of buoys to separate stand-up paddlers from swimmers. "In our opinion, the Ala Moana Lagoon decision was very successful," Aila said in a news release. "Once we installed the SUP corridor, complaints stopped coming in. No one was prevented from accessing the resource."

Kea Chun, 35, who heads out to surf Tennis Courts with his paddleboard every day, said the project is a bad idea. "It is just targeting paddleboarders," he said.

Chun questioned the proposed time periods. "Who surfs after 7 p.m.? It doesn’t make sense," he said after a stand-up paddle surf session at Tennis Courts on Tuesday afternoon.

Surfer Bruce Lum, 67, said the proposal has no merit. "Surfing is a public activity that was never viewed as being safe. It comes with all sorts of dangers and we live with it. We all go out there knowing that."

An online petition against the proposed project has more than 500 signatures so far, according to Lum. He and others believe the project is being driven solely by MacMaster, not a group as described in the organization’s website.

Keff Carter, one of the owners of FLIGHT Boards Hawaii, which sells paddleboards and surfboards, alleged MacMaster is attempting to show that there’s a conflict between surfers and stand-up paddlers. "It’s not a SUPers-versus-surfers issue," he said. Over the past two years, Carter said, 92 percent of the people he sold stand-up paddleboards to also surf. Many surfers also SUP surf.

If the state establishes the pilot project, he questioned how it would be assessed to determine whether it’s successful. Impacts on other surf breaks throughout the state is another concern.

Most people would find the ocean is to be shared and unregulated, Carter said.

Of claims that SUPers are hogging waves, he contends wave-hogging is a behavioral problem, not a board-specific action.

Comments on the proposal can be emailed to DLNR at dlnr.HarReview@hawaii.gov.