Ala Moana Paddleboard Corridor in Place Indefinitely

By Wendy Osher

The state is leaving the Ala Moana Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUP) Corridor in place indefinitely.

Ala Moana stand up paddle board corridor, photo courtesy DLNR.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) installed seven bouys demarking the corridor in May 2010 to help promote safety of ocean users.  The corridor serves as a marker to separate swimmers from stand-up paddleboarders, and is utilized with voluntary compliance.

“A full year has passed and the corridor seems to have served its purpose, separating stand-up paddlers from other ocean users and greatly reducing the risk of injury due to overcrowding,” said William J. Aila, Jr., DLNR Chairperson.

Ala Moana stand up paddle board corridor, photo courtesy DLNR.

“The key to the solution has always been in users regulating themselves, users giving each other the freedom to enjoy the waterway. We were able to gain voluntary compliance without needing adopt rules that could have excluded users from sharing a treasured resource,” said Aila.

As a reminder, state officials reminded all users to avoid clinging to the buoys, as they are not designed as flotation or mooring devices.

The buoys were designed and constructed by Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation in-house dive team at a cost of $1,400 for the project.

*** Supporting information courtesy state of Hawai’i, Department of Land and Natural Resources.