City Council passes entrance fee increase at Hanauma Bay

Two Honolulu City Council measures to help restoration efforts at the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, including a significant increase in entrance and parking fees for visitors, were passed on Wednesday.

The passage of Bill 44 increases the entrance fee to the bay for nonresidents 13 years old and older to $12 per person, up from $7.50. The bill also requires visitors to pay a $3 parking fee per vehicle, up from $1.

Residents and those younger than 13 still can enter Hanauma Bay for free, and the resident parking fee will stay at $1.

The increased fees for nonresidents will complement the passage of Resolution 20-233, which urges the city administration to fund the restoration of the bay using the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve Fund.

The fund, which the city estimated to be about $12.3 million for fiscal year 2020, is sourced by entrance and parking fees as well as other revenue made at the bay.

Hanauma Bay has been closed to the public since March because of COVID-19, and recent observations, which include significant increases in water clarity, suggest that the reef might be recovering from overuse.

State researchers are interested in pursuing more recovery efforts at the bay.

“Hanauma Bay is undergoing a natural resurgence since its closure to the public in March. We now have an unprecedented opportunity for (the Division of Aquatic Resources’) Hawaii Coral Restoration Nursery to start coral restoration projects at Hanauma Bay,” Lisa Bishop, president of the nonprofit Friends of Hanauma Bay, told the Star-Advertiser in a text message. “It is only reasonable for this restoration effort to be paid for by the Hanauma Bay Fund. We appreciate the City Council’s concurrence on this issue.”

Bishop said the city does not allocate money from the fund to the state for management, conservation or restoration of the bay, which is Hawaii’s first Marine Life Conservation District.

Of the hike in admission and parking fees for visitors, Councilman Tommy Waters, who introduced Resolution 20-233, said it’s still a steal for visitors.

“People go to Disneyland or skiing and pay a lot more for something in my mind that’s comparable,” he said. “People can spend the entire day at Hanauma Bay for $12? It’s the deal of the century.”

Waters introduced another resolution, which urges the city administration to set up an online reservation system for Hanauma Bay, that recently passed through City Council.