FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM The C&K Beachboys concession is on Duke Kahanamoku Beach fronting the Hilton Hawaiian Village. A beachboy, Earl Stewart, helped visitors launch a paddle watercraft rented from the concession yesterday.

Bills would alter
concession rules

Opponents say the bill gives
unfair advantage to beachboys

Owners of Waikiki beach concessions would be required to have 10 years experience "and be versed in the Hawaiian beachboy tradition," under a bill moving in the state Legislature.

Star-Bulletin Legislature Database Star-Bulletin Legislature Guide (PDF, 1.9 MB) State Legislature: Bills & Hawaii Revised Statutes

House Bill 128 is needed, according to its supporters, because the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, which controls state land and beaches, is replacing the month-to-month beach concession permits with contracts through sealed bids.

"The Land Board felt that the concession should be put out for public bid to ensure a fair and open process by which all beach service entities could have a chance," Peter Young, Land Board chairman said in an e-mail to the Star-Bulletin.

Rep. Ezra Kanoho (D, Waialua-Koloa), the bill's sponsor, said he wants to give local beachboys "some preference over concessionaires from California."

"We want to honor the beachboy tradition and make sure they are given every opportunity," Kanoho, chairman of the Water, Land and Ocean Resources committee, said.

There also is a resolution, offered by Rep. Tommy Waters (D, Lanikai-Waimanalo), urging the state to continue to negotiate with the existing owner of the concession at Duke Kahanamoku Beach, C&K Beach Services Inc.

The resolution, which has not yet been adopted claims C&K "saved thousands of lives and spared the state million of dollars in claims for damages through its lifeguard services at Duke Kahanamoku Beach."

C&K has held the concession on a month-to-month permit, offering surfing lessons and other beach services to tourists along the beach fronting the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

"It is just disturbing that C&K has had the contract for 25 years and all of a sudden they are yanking the permit and putting it up for bid," Waters said. He added that state law allows for either direct negotiation or a bid and the state should have worked something out with C&K before going to bid.

Clyde Aikau, owner of C&K, said there is a cultural aspect to the entire business and that will be lost if the state goes with the highest bidder.

"There's no guarantee that we're going to keep the Hawaiian beachboy and his host culture of surfing and canoeing in place if the state is going to go for the highest bidder. Anyone can bid, anyone from Florida, anywhere. There are no safeguards in place that ensure that the beach boy will stay," Aikau said.

Young said, however, that the Land Board felt several other companies could provide a service that "would also be able to preserve and promote the 'beachboy tradition.'"

"The department feels it is inappropriate for the Legislature to afford special treatment to one particular company over others," Young said.

Kanoho disagreed, saying other beachboy services could also apply under his proposal and he expects "a lot of competition."

Others in the business say the state will have a difficult time trying to measure which beachboy service best preserves "Hawaii beachboy tradition."

"There is no such thing as beachboy tradition," says Fletcher Miranda, who has operated beachboy services in Waikiki for 20 years. "The tradition is anyone who comes to the beach and works hard is a beachboy. All you have to say is you can swim and you are good with people and you can start work today, now you are a beachboy."

Arthur Fong, an attorney representing other beachboy services, said: "They keep talking about preserving the beachboy tradition, I keep asking what is the beachboy tradition and I don't get any answers, but we are talking big money here."