Makena State Park will be closed today while salvage operations are being conducted to remove by air a 19-foot boat that washed ashore last month.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation has hired a salvage contractor to secure the boat with lines, then lift it by helicopter to a truck parked in the Makena State Park parking lot. It will then be towed to the company’s salvage yard where it will be assessed and further disposal will occur.

The boat washed up on the rocky point between Big Beach and Little Beach just after 6 p.m. on April 17.

The boat’s operator was still on the vessel securing belongings and eventually got back to shore uninjured.

Maui fire officials said the vessel operator had apparently anchored the boat offshore of Little Beach and swam ashore to meet with friends. Later the boat, with damage to its hull, drifted towards the rocks and washed up on land on the south side of Little Beach.

The park gates will be kept locked until the salvage operation is completed, which is estimated to take between one to two hours. Enforcement officers on site will keep people away from the flight path.