Lava tour boat operator fined $15K for boat ramp violations

A Hawaii island lava tour boat operator was fined $15,000 Friday for three violations of state boating rules.

In fining Shane Turpin of Kohala Tours, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources said he launched his LavaKai II tour boat from Pohoiki boat ramp on at least three occasions between Feb. 3 and 7 without a valid commercial use ramp permit.

While Turpin’s other company, Lava Ocean Tours Inc., does hold one of the four available permits issued by the state’s Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation for use of the state ramp, that permit is for the vessel LavaOne, which was also carrying passengers for lava viewing during those dates, according to the state.

Contacted later, Turpin said the violations came about because of a misunderstanding. He said the company was in the process of transferring permits from another vessel, but the information didn’t reach the state in time.

He said he finally accepted the $15,000 fine after negotiating down an “excessive” proposed fine of $80,000 and having to visit Oahu twice.

Turpin urged the state to expand the number of permits because the demand to see the lava is booming and the activity is good for the economy.

“The lava isn’t going to be here forever,” he said.

In the meantime, Turpin said he’s adding another tour boat that will launch from Hilo, lengthening the trip by an hour and a half.

In a news release, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources warned that any future violations may result in citations, fines or possible revocation of the commercial use launch ramp permit.

At least one other tour operator has been fined for illegally using the Pohoiki boat ramp in recent months. And government officials have been warning tour boats to operate with greater caution around the dangerous lava entry points.

In addition, the Coast Guard in February began ramping up enforcement in the wake of reports of an increasing number of illegal charters.

At the beginning of the year, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando sent a letter to tour boat companies urging them to operate safely. She told them her staff had documented unsafe activities in the water near the lava entry.

Lava from Kilauea Volcano, which has been erupting continuously since 1983, has been pouring into the ocean at Kamokuna for the last 10 months, a spectacle that is drawing thousands of tourists who either have to hike several miles over rough terrain or pay for a sightseeing boat or air tour.