HONOLUA BAY, Hawaii (KHON2) — The owners of a 65-foot catamaran have agreed to pay more than $30,000 for damage to the reef at Maui’s Honolua-Mokulē‘ia Marine Life Conservation District after their vessel ran aground.
The Hula Girl grounded at Honolua Bay in January 2025 due to a winter storm. The vessel sat along the rocky shoreline in the northern portion of the Honolua-Mokulē‘ia Bay MLCD until its removal in March 2025.
The Hula Girl owners, Kapalua Kai Sailing, Inc., settled at $30,448.67 to help compensate for the damage done to the reefs, restoration of these marine resources and the cost of the investigation.
Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources reported that the Hula Girl damaged 36 coral colonies and 48 square meters of live rock.
The grounding of the vessel caused minimal damage in comparison to the salvage operations. Removing the vessel across the habitat left two parallel scars, accounting for the majority of the damage done to the live rock, officials said.
“The board decided to accept the settlement agreement between the DAR and Kapalua Kai Sailing, Inc., and not pursue the maximum authorized penalties because they took responsibility for their actions,” Dawn Chang, Hawai‘i Board of Land and Natural Resources Chair, said.
Kapalua Kai Sailing, Inc. also covered the cost to remove the vessel.
Chang added, “We appreciate Kapalua Kai Sailing’s cooperation throughout this process, and their desire to compensate the people of Hawai‘i for the unintended damage to our natural resources on public lands.”