Bacteria levels back to normal at Hanauma Bay, 2 other beaches

Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, along with Waimanalo and Sandy Beach parks are now clear of high bacteria levels, according to the state health department.

The Hawaii Department of Health said water sample testing results show the levels of enterococci no longer exceed advisory levels, giving clearance for Hanauma Bay to reopen to the public today.

Hanauma Bay, however, will remain closed today due to lack of staffing available to maintain normal operations. It will reopen 6 a.m. Saturday, according to city Department of Parks and Recreation spokesman Nathan Serota.

“With the uncertainty of when the results from the Department of Health would be released, we were unable to provide a definite confirmation to staff on when we could resume normal and safe nature preserve operations,” said Serota. “We thank the public for their patience and understanding.

The state first issued high bacteria levels for all three locations on Wednesday, with the highest — 583 per 100 milliliters — detected at Sandy Beach. High levels of 393 per 100 milliliters were detected at Hanauma Bay and 213 per 100 milliliters at Waimanalo Beach. The threshold is 130 enterococci per 100 milliliters.

The state continued its routine monitoring, but could only announce the results today since lab results take 24 hours to process. The cause of the high bacteria remains undetermined.

More information on water quality advisories statewide is available at this link.