Q: I swim regularly at Ala Moana Beach, and I am concerned about the recent proliferation of stand-up paddleboarders.

I have had a couple of near misses with them coming within a foot or two of my head. One friend actually has been hit by a board. The problem is especially bad on weekends. I counted more than 40 boards in the water this summer.

One Saturday a company called Island Glass had numerous stand-up paddleboards at the Diamond Head end of Ala Moana. The 10-plus novice paddlers were weaving in and out among the swimmers, and it was very dangerous. The owners told me their company is all about the community, but if this was true, safety would be paramount. Island Glass is there to promote their business.

If people can't get married on a beach without a license, why are businesses allowed to conduct commercial endeavors at Ala Moana Beach? Who should we swimmers turn to for help? (Three complaints combined.)

A: State and city officials are aware of the growing conflicts between swimmers and stand-up paddleboarders, mainly at Ala Moana Beach Park.

But at this point neither DLNR, which oversees the water, and the city Department of Parks and Recreation, which has jurisdiction over land activities, feel there is a need to regulate paddleboarders in either area.

Parks Director Lester Chang also said there is no evidence of commercial activity taking place in the park by Island Glass or any other paddleboard business.

Instructing people on how to paddleboard at the beach is not prohibited, he said, unless actual sales are made or money changes hands.

Lifeguards have a firsthand view of the situation, and “;the concerns that we have are the same user-conflict issues,”; said Ralph Goto, ocean safety administrator for the city's Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Services Division. He said he has already discussed this with DLNR because of the potential for problems at Ala Moana, where the calm waters are attractive to novice paddleboarders. So far, no serious injuries or collisions have been reported, he said.

“;At some point, hopefully before something happens, we're going to need to sit down and talk about it,”; Goto said.

But, regarding regulating who has the right of way, “;Part of it is just a matter of common sense and courtesy,”; he said. “;Everyone thinks they have the right of way, especially swimmers, (because) they've been there a long time.”;

It is DLNR's responsibility to determine whether any regulations or separations are needed, Goto said.

“;We're going to help, but it is not in our purview to actually do the regulations,”; he said.

Meanwhile, because DLNR's Boating and Ocean Recreation Division does not consider paddleboarding to be a commercial activity, at least in the swimming zone at Ala Moana, spokeswoman Deborah Ward said it does not need to be regulated by the state or be subject to a permit.

“;DLNR has received a few complaints about (alleged commercial) activity,”; including about a vendor other than Island Glass, but is referring all such complaints to the city Parks Department, she said.

The Boating and Ocean Recreation Division has issued a commercial permit to Paddle Core Fitness, but that company operates outside of the designated swim zone at Ala Moana Beach.

“;As for the complaint about safety, boating rules currently state that even though the area is designated as a swim zone, surfboards (or paddleboards) are not considered vessels and can be used in the swim zone,”; Ward said.

From the Parks Department's standpoint, no activity is restricted unless specified in park rules.

“;At this point we don't have anything specifically addressing paddleboarding, other than if it's an activity where there's commercialization,”; Chang said. If there is commercial activity, “;then we don't allow it, and we don't issue permits for (paddleboarding) as a commercial activity at this time.”;

Some people allege there is commercial activity going on, he said, but so far, no one has shown proof of it. It is similar to people saying someone is giving private lessons on the city's tennis courts.

“;It's hard to prove it,”; he said. “;If the people who receive the lessons say, 'Yes, we pay for this,'”; that's one thing. But, “;they usually don't do that.”;

Regarding collisions and near collisions between swimmers and paddleboarders, he said that is an issue that needs to be addressed by the rules of the water - hence, by the state.

If businesses were to start dominating the beach, “;we may have to do something,”; he said, but “;we don't have rules that say you cannot fish here or say you cannot paddleboard.”;

For now the Parks Department is not looking at restricting the activity from a land-use standpoint, but is monitoring the situation.

Juliana Caldwell, who owns Island Glass Oceanboards with her husband, Bryan, said she understands swimmers' concerns. She said her company, which makes paddleboards, is only promoting the activity and is not selling the boards, charging for lessons or doing anything illegal.

She said the company has been at Ala Moana about three or four times, going there only once every other month. Yesterday was the most recent “;demo day,”; held from 8 a.m. to noon at “;one spot.”;

Caldwell said they bring 10 to 15 boards and count on “;strictly volunteers”; to help them promote the sport.

“;We're not selling anything,”; Caldwell said. People can try out a board for 15 minutes, for free, after signing a release form.

“;We try to make (the demonstrations) out of the way of swimmers,”; she said, although she acknowledged the first time, “;we had a few complaints because they were getting in the way of swimmers.”;

“;We're about promoting a sport, not about making conflicts,”; Caldwell said. “;We've been very cooperative.”;