A group of protesters on boats and surfboards blocked a small cruise vessel from landing on Molokai Saturday in the hope of getting the company to stop visiting the island until the community can hash out its concerns over the direction of the tourism industry.

The 145-foot expedition boat Safari Explorer was carrying about 30 passengers when it tried to enter Kaunakakai Harbor about 7:30 a.m. and was thwarted by a line of protesters on surfboards and two boats, said Dan Blanchard, owner of American Safari Cruises. The captain turned the vessel away about 90 minutes later.

Blanchard said the vessel never got close to the protesters, and the passengers instead went whale watching and to do water activities on the back side of Lanai.

The American Safari Cruises website says the company offers an alternative to traditional cruises by taking passengers to areas inaccessible by larger ships. The seven-night luxury cruise in the Hawaiian islands includes two days on Molokai, the website said.

American Safari started the tour in October, bringing passengers to Molokai twice before Saturday. Both times protesters met the vessel on shore without incident.

The Coast Guard said it would look into the incident and work with local law enforcement to find out what happened.

"It appears that this is a relatively small group that is not wanting us there," said Blanchard, who added that he will meet again with the community on Wednesday. "Most folks see this as a great opportunity for eco-tourism on their island, and low impact."

He said he respects the protesters’ concerns about how tourism develops on the island.

The Molokai Chamber of Commerce said in a statement that it supports all business and tourism that "complements our unique lifestyle."

"When there is interference with lawful commerce, it can set a precedent that may have significant consequences to a fragile economy like ours," the chamber said in a statement.

Walter Ritte, one of the protesters, said Molokai still has the rural character that draws companies like American Safari because residents preserved it after three decades of fighting.

"(The companies) think they can just come because they’re free enterprise and they’re protected," Ritte said. "The cruise ship represents the beginning of a cruise industry on Molokai. We wanted to have a community process to talk about the negatives, what kinds of things are necessary to protect us from all the negative impacts."

He said American Safari gave the community only one day to work through concerns before the ship arrived in October.

"We have at least more leverage now to force him to cancel the rest of his trips so we can have a community process," he said. "He needs to show some kind of commitment to the community by stopping his cruise ship from coming in."