State replacing sinking buoys at Ala Moana Beach Park

State crews will replace the buoys in the lagoon of Ala Moana Beach Park that separate stand-up paddleboarders from swimmers.

Four years ago, the Department of Land and Natural Resources installed seven “spar buoys” between the shoreline and the reef to create a stand-up paddleboard corridor. Some of the buoys became saturated with water and began sinking, so the department will replace them with a more water-resistant bouy.

A small team of DLNR employees will be staging on the beach at Magic Island and using a jet ski during the operation over two days starting Thursday. The state originally said the replacement would begin Wednesday.

The state created the stand-up paddleboard corridor after complaints by swimmers about the rising popularity of paddleboarding in the area.

After the buoys were installed, the state said complaints dropped significantly.