All island waters now under watchful eyes of state Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement marine patrols

Marine patrol units of the Hawai’i Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement are now active on O‘ahu, Maui, Kaua‘i and Hawai‘i Island.

“Our marine patrol units are vital to our mission of protecting the natural and cultural resources of Hawai‘i, particularly when the state has more than 700 miles of coastline and we’re responsible for law enforcement from the high water mark of beaches to 3 miles seaward,” said Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement Chief Jason Redulla in the state’s announcement.

The marine patrol unit on Hawai‘i Island — consisting of three officers — recently got additional help to conduct a night operation just off Keauhou Bay.

More than a half-dozen commercial tour boats hauled hundreds of people out to view manta rays. Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement officers conducted numerous “safety boardings” in which they checked for the presence of all required safety equipment and ensured all vessels were properly licensed and permitted.

Officers unattached to the Hawai‘i Branch marine patrol unit earlier the same day sailed to Kealakekua Bay with the primary goal of watching for kayakers and other boaters interacting with spinner dolphins.

They stopped several fishing boats on the way to conduct safety checks.

While no citations were written, one operator was given a warning for having a child on board not wearing a personal flotation device as required by law.

They launched a drone at Kealakekua after seeing a school of dolphins near kayaks and commercial tour boats. Focusing on one particular kayak, it appeared they might have been chasing dolphins.

Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement Officer Amanda Llanes flew the drone over the two-person kayak, but could not tell definitively whether the couple was breaking federal laws related to spinner dolphins.

Federal laws for protected marine species have supremacy over state laws, but officers are deputized by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement — which has no officers stationed on Hawai‘i Island — to investigate and collect evidence.

“So we go out and document, provide reports and evidence and forward it to [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration],” Llanes explained in the announcement. “They decide whether or not to prosecute.”

Lt. Errol “Sparky” Kane leads the marine patrol unit on O‘ahu.

“Hawai‘i’s engine is our natural resources. It’s the ocean and the mountains and the climate that make people want to come here,” he said during a recent patrol of the island’s south shore. “In order to preserve and protect these resources, we have to have an enforcement presence that works mauka to makai.”

Much of what Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement officers do on a daily basis emphasizes education instead of enforcement.

Officers during the the O‘ahu marine patrol on a boat and personal water craft issued a warning to the owner of a personal water craft who pulled his craft up on a beach, where it was against the law.

A short time later they asked three surfers to leave an area where surfing is not permitted.

While land-based Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement officers supplement the work of the marine patrol units as needed, it’s up to the oceangoing patrols to be on the water regularly.

Kane said his team is normally patrolling at least 4 to 5 days each week.

Members of the marine patrol units are all expert watermen and waterwomen, some having been lifeguards for many years before becoming law enforcement officers.

“We try to give people a break, but we can only give so many breaks. If we told you once, you’ll probably get a citation the second time around,” Kane said in the announcement. “So we try not to be too forceful just because this is what we do in Hawai‘i, the aloha spirit.”