The Hanauma Bay Task Force is recommending that commercial firms be allowed to bid for permits to allow them to bring a maximum of 1,500 visitors a day to Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve. The money would join the funds from the snack bar, trolley and snorkel and mask concessions and entrance fees to provide the city a hefty yearly sum.
"Hanauma Bay isn't going to be a big boon for the travel industry as much as a huge boon for the city," said Roger Watson of Enoa Tours.
Another proposal would limit the number of people at the beach and in the water to 2,000 to keep the lower bay from becoming congested.
There would be no cap on the number of people who reach Hanauma on their own. Currently, about 400 people arrive at Hanauma by city bus, 500 are dropped off by taxis and the rest of the 4,000 daily summer visitors vie for 308 parking stalls for their cars.
Under the bidding proposal, city bus service from Waikiki to Hanauma Bay would be halted, but buses from downtown, Kailua and elsewhere still would serve Hanauma. Tax deliveries would count toward the 1,500-person commercial total.
Task force member Dave Raney of the Sierra Club concedes there may be a limited role for commercial activities, especially if the money comes back to help protect the bay.
But he's wary lest the city reopen a Pandora's Box that overloads Hanauma and degrades it.
Other task force members also are worried that once companies start advertising Hanauma Bay again, a demand could be created that won't be satisfied with 1,500 tickets a day.
They fear that once the tickets are sold out, other people will swarm to the bay on their own in great enough numbers to keep residents from being able to enjoy the bay.
The majority of task force members recognize that an essential component of protecting Hanauma Bay from degradation is for tour operators to provide educators and instructors to teach visitors what a precious resource the area is, and how to enjoy it without trampling the coral.
"The blessing I see in this, if it's workable, if we can make sure that everybody that comes out with a tour company is efficiently educated, then we can reduce the impact on the bay and more people can enjoy it," said Hanauma Bay manager Alan Hong.
Parks Director Dona Hanaike points to the commercial dive tours as success stories of how to run an operation in Hanauma Bay while educating clients and protecting the resource.
Task force members are united in their frustration that a study has never been conducted to determine the number of people who can use Hanauma without degrading it.
The task force committee was to meet today for the last time to submit recommendations.
The Parks and Recreation Department will revise the proposals and send them to Mayor Jeremy Harris. After that, the City Council will examine the task force's efforts.
In 1988, the city banned companies from delivering customers to Hanauma Bay to stem a human assault that reached nearly 10,000 visitors daily.
In January, the mayor's office formed the task force chaired by Hanaike and city Budget Director Malcolm Tom.
The group has been quietly working to get the tourism and transportation industries involved in bringing visitors to Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve.