If you didn’t know, there are quite a few islets dotting coastlines around many of the main Hawaiian Islands. Some of the most popular and accessible of these encircle O’ahu. However, access to a popular islet has been restricted on a temporary basis, which will likely cause headaches for some tour operators.
O’ahu is home to many islets. Many of these are the product of the Ko’olau volcano’s rejuvenation stage, which is an eruptive phase that saw the creation of Oahu’s most iconic and prominent natural landmarks, such as Le’ahi (Diamond Head), Koko Head, Punchbowl, and even Mānana. However, much of the islets on the Windward Side have a different origin story – the cataclysmic destruction of much of Ko’olau. This includes Mokoli’i and Nā Mokulua, which includes Moku Iki and Moku Nui. It’s these two islets that will be the subject of today’s post, though really I’m more so focusing on Moku Nui.
Access to a Popular Islet Has Been Restricted
Nā Mokulua is part of Hawai’i State Seabird Sanctuary, which means access to both are heavily restricted. Under normal conditions, Moku Iki, the one on the right when viewing from shore, is perpetually off-limits, whereas you can usually access the shoreline on Moku Nui. However, as the title of this post suggests – access to a popular islet has been restricted – Moku Nui is now completely off-limits, too.
While the usual restrictions at Nā Mokulua are sufficient for protecting nesting seabirds that call the islets home, a different visitor sparked new restrictions. Specifically, Hawaiian monk seal, Wailea, gave birth to a pup on Moku Nui this past Friday (6/21). Given the size of the beach, the protected status of the monk seals, and the territorial nature of a mother with a pup, officials thought it best to suspend commercial landing permits for the islet, and have placed signage to warn of the monk seals and to prohibit any landings on the islets for the time being.
Hawaiian monk seals typically nurse their young for five to seven weeks, which is about how long we can expect the access restrictions to remain in place. However, the islet may remain off-limits even longer. It all depends on how long the pup hangs around after being weened, or if officials will move it, as they did with Kaiwi’s most recent pup, Pa’aki, which was birthed on busy Kaimana Beach.
It’s worth noting that kayak tour operates often feature Moku Nui as part of their tours. So, because access to a popular islet has been restricted temporarily, these operates will either have to modify their tours or cancel them outright. If you have such a tour scheduled sometime during the next month of two, you might want to get in touch with your tour operator to see what actions they’re taking and what recourse you have.
Final Thoughts
While I’m sure that access to a popular islet has been restricted is causing some business owners and visitors headaches, I view this as a good thing. This is the eleventh monk seal birth on O’ahu this year, which is one of the highest counts I can remember hearing of. And, remember, every birth counts. Hawaiian monk seals remain incredibly endangered – only about 1,600 of the exists. In fact, they’re rare enough that I only began seeing them outside of the Waikiki Aquarium in recent years.
Of course, the other side of things is the more common these births become in populated areas, the more disruptions we’ll see like this. It also means, unfortunately, that we’ll likely see more negative human-monk seal interactions, too. So, remember folks, keep your distance from monk seals and honu (it’s Federal law), keep your doggos on a leash, and clean up after yourself.