#mokuleia

Eighteen people were cited Saturday night for being in a closed area, in violation of Ka‘ena Point State Park closure hours; and five others were cited for not having special access permits.

The DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation reports the yacht, Nakoa, was scuttled in 800 feet of water after it was freed from the rocky shoreline near Honolua where it had been grounded for nearly two weeks. “It had taken on water, was listing starboard and riding bow high after being pulled free by a tractor tug early this afternoon,” according to an update issued by DLNR.

Salvage efforts will resume sometime this weekend as crews attempt to free the grounded yacht Nakoa from the near-shore reef on the edge of Honolua Bay. 

Another attempt will be made during high tide later today to pull the grounded luxury yacht, Nakoa, further from shore. The vessel has been grounded for a week just beyond the boundary of the Honolua-Mokulē’ia Marine Life Conservation District.  

Work to remove fuel, other pollutants, and batteries from the grounded 94-foot-long luxury yacht Nakoa, will continue today (Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023) at Honolua Bay in northwest Maui. The State will bill the yacht’s owner for reimbursement of the $460,000 salvage cost, and for additional staff and administrative costs, and take legal action if necessary.

No citations were issued on the first day of closures of all State Parks and beaches on O‘ahu. Earlier in the week, prior to the announcement of state and county parks closures, a social media post had promoted a bonfire party for the Mokuleia section of the park.

Dancers from the Polynesian Cultural Center on Oahu, performed vignettes from their show “Ha”, translated as the breath of life, to open the 2012 Hyundai Tournament of Champions on Maui. The performance cleared the way for champion golfers to make a statement at Kapalua under clear skies and a view of breaking waves on the shores of Honolua and Mokuleia Bays below.