A lottery next month will be conducted to determine four applicants eligible to receive a Kahalu‘u Bay ocean waters commercial use permit for surf school operations. After the maximum number of permits is reached, the lottery will continue and remaining participants will be placed on a waitlist in the order of lottery selection, in case another applicant drops out.
The four permitted commercial operators in Zone A of the bay can have no more than four students in the water, regardless of the number of instructors in the ocean. Zone A is the only part of Kahalu‘u Bay where commercial surf instruction is allowed.
The DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) will host the lottery on Friday, November 17, 2023, at 10 a.m. at the Old Kona Airport Events Pavilion at 75-5500 Kuakini Highway in Kailua-Kona.
Last November, the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) unanimously approved the revised amendments to Hawai‘i Administrative Rules for Kahalu’u Bay.
If you have questions, contact the DOBOR Hawai‘i District Office at 808-327-3690.