Residents: Parasailing proposal doesn’t fly

KEKAHA —A state proposal to introduce commercial parasailing to Kaua’i met

with stiff opposition from residents who said the activity would be an

environmental and aesthetic disturbance to the island’s quiet southern

coastline.

“Pollution, noise, threat to marine life. There are critical

issues here,” said Dr. Monroe Richman, head of the Southshore Property

Association. “I oppose it, period.”

Kalaheo resident Stanley Dotario added

that the proposal will ruin the peace and calm of the South Shore.

“It

breaks the view of the horizon,” said Dotario, a 56-year resident of Kalaheo.

“Sailboats belong in the ocean, but parachutes don’t.”

Lawa’i resident

Yojana Grace said visitors go to Mau’i to play and come to Kaua’i for beauty

and relaxation. “They really don’t want to see it here.”

The state

Department of Land and Natural Resources Boating Division solicited comments to

refine rules for the activity at a public meeting Thursday at the Kekaha

Neighborhood Center.

Twelve of the 14 people at the meeting opposed the

proposal, which calls for two parasailing zones along 10 miles of coastline

between Kalaheo and Kipu.

Residents also said they found the state process

for drafting the rules to be flawed.

“This looks like something the state

is trying to cram down the public’s throat,” South Shore resident Charles

Schimmelfenig said after the meeting.

Grace said the proposal appears to

be a “done deal, ” a claim rejected by Carole She, a boating regulation planer

with the DLNR Boating Division.

The rules, She said, were drafted six

years ago but have never gone through a full government review.

County

Councilman Jimmy Tokioka voiced fears about the proposal. If implemented

without enforcement regulations, he said, parasailing could create another

Hanalei boating controversy.

“I personally don’t want to have to deal, if I

am on the (County) Council again, with another nightmare situation,” Tokioka

said. “Given all the unanswered questions, I can’t support it at this

time.”

Vaughan Tyndzik, Kaua’i Boating Division district manager, said

more state law enforcement officers have been hired and could help monitor the

parasailing operations.

Those operations, Hanapepe businessman Arius Hopman

said, would pose a danger to divers, fishermen and sailboat owners.

During

ocean outings, captains and crew members, he said, have a tendency to look

back at passengers who are up in the parachutes and not look at what might be

in front of their boat.

The boats could roll over snorkelers and Green Sea

turtles, he said.

Richman said a diver died in a boating accident, and

similar accidents could occur even if state rules for parasailing are in

place.

The risk of accidents, Tyndzik said, can be reduced by divers using

flags to identify their location in the water.

An accident is the last

thing the county would want, Tokioka said.

“Fire and rescue (services)

are lean right now,” he said. “We don’t have tons of fire rescue crews (to

respond to accidents).”

The boats are designed for rescues and are

equipped with emergency radios, said Anahola resident Jeremy Hillstrom.

The boats can handle ocean chop of up to 4 feet and would traverse the

ocean at safe speed when riders are in tow, said Hillstrom. He and his family

have petitioned the state to operate parasailing off Kaua’i

waters.

Commercial parasailing, Richman said, will ruin the breeding ground

for Green Sea turtles at Allerton Beach. “You have put the turtle in a line of

endangerment.”

Tyndzik said he wasn’t qualified to respond to the claim,

but said he would look into the matter.

The DLNR proposal calls for the

parasailing zones on the 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 1/4 to 1/2 mile from shore.

For safety

reasons, DNLR, Tyndzik said, would ask parasailing companies to operate about 1

1/2 mile from shore.

Only two parasailing companies would be allowed to

operate in the zones at any one time.

The boats would travel between 5 to

15 miles an hour, and would accommodate a maximum of two parasailing

passengers at one time. The rides would run from 12 to 15 minutes.

DNLR,

Tyndzik said, plans to issue two to three permits initially. In all, four

permits would be awarded through a public auction.

Both Tyndzik and Kaua’

i’s representative on the Land Board, Lynn McCrory, said DNLR wants to work

with the public in developing the proposal and welcomes public comments.

One of the parasailing zones could be eliminated, and the zones could be

reduced in size and relocated, Tyndzik said.

The drafted rules will be

forwarded to Gov. Ben Cayetano for approval.

If there is no major

opposition or changes in the proposal, the rules will go to the Land Board and

governor for action.

Commercial parasailing already is conducted on Mau’i,

the Big Island and O’ahu, according to Hillstrom.