LIHU’E — The state is considering a proposal to bring parasailing to Kaua’i. The Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation will hold two public meetings this month to provide information about the proposal. The
LIHU’E — The state is considering a proposal to bring parasailing to
Kaua’i.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Boating
and Ocean Recreation will hold two public meetings this month to provide
information about the proposal.
The first meeting will be held at Koloa
School Cafeteria from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday.
A second meeting is scheduled
for the Kekaha Neighborhood Center from 7 to 10 p.m. on May 18.
The idea
for commercial parasailing surfaced eight years ago, but died due to concerns
about commercial Jet Ski operations.
Jeremy Hillstrom and his family
revived the idea about five years ago and currently have a petition before the
DLNR division to run parasailing operations in Kaua’i waters.
Vaughan
Tyndzik, Kaua’i Boating Division district manager, said the DLNR is looking at
creating parasailing zones along 10 miles of coastline from Makaokahai Point
off the Kalaheo shoreline to Kawelikoa Point in Koloa.
The two zones —
each about five miles in length — would be located between 1/4 to 1/2 mile
from shore, Tyndzik said.
Only two parasailing businesses will be allowed
to operate in the zones at any one time.
“Our intention in the future is to
have four permits and see how the operations work,” Tyndzik said. “We plan to
offer two or three permits at this time.”
The permits will be awarded
through a public auction.
Hillstrom said he and his family proposed
commercial parasailing five years ago and that it would be unfair to award the
permit to the highest bidder.
“We are upset about out it,” Hillstrom said.
“We did all the groundwork, and we pushed it this far. Now we won’t be able to
do it.”
Hillstrom said the DLNR should given preference to a Kaua’i
business.
“We would hope they would give us preference, since we brought it
up, and we are a Kaua’i family,” Hillstrom said.
Tyndzik said he personally
supports that concept, but state laws doesn’t allow for such
consideration.
“Personally, I would love to have the local guy get the
shot, but the law comes into play,” Tyndzik said.
“The process and
procedure by how the permit is won is a function of the law.”
But even
after the permits are awarded, the parasailing operators will have a hard time
starting up, Tyndzik said.
There are no commercial boat spaces available at
any of the small board harbors on Kaua’i, he said.
They include
Nawiliwili, Kikiaola, Kukuiula and Port Allen harbors, which fall under the
jurisdiction of the DLNR Boating Division.
Whoever gets the permits will
have to link up with commercial boat businesses that currently have state
permits allowing them to operate at small boat harbors, Tyndzik said.
Hillstrom is attempting to obtain a state permit for operations at
Kukuiula and Port Allen harbors, Tyndzik said.
Once the rules for
commercial parasailing on Kaua’i are drafted, the DLNR Boating Division will
ask the Land Board to hold a public hearing on the proposed rules. The Land
Board will then act on the proposal.
Commercial parasailing already is
conducted on Mau’i, the Big Island and O’ahu, according to Hillstrom.
