Reef Watch Waikīkī

Waikīkī is well known to be the nexus of Hawai‘i’s tourism industry, responsible for around half of tourism’s contribution to the Gross State Product. The popularity of Waikīkī is partly due to its alluring coastal reefs and beaches, making healthy coastal ecosystems a requisite for sustainable tourism in Hawai‘i. Naturally, it is critical that we preserve our vital resources, especially since studies show that much of Waikīkī’s magnificent reefs have been damaged, and, additionally, only less than 70% of Waikīkī Beach now provides any dry, sandy areas. To ensure the survival of Waikīkī’s coastal reefs and beaches—and, by extension, Hawai‘i’s tourism industry—the University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program (UH Sea Grant) launched its Reef Watch Waikīkī project in 2009.

Reef Watch Waikīkī is a community-based education and coastal monitoring program that seeks to facilitate community stewardship of Māmala Bay, leading to improved vitality of Waikīkī’s coastal environment, additional marine recreation opportunities, and enhanced visitor experiences. Community-based education and monitoring minimizes inappropriate use of marine resources by raising awareness and encouraging compliance to resource regulations, further enriching Waikīkī’s near-shore marine ecosystem while building community involvement. In addition to being a standalone program, Reef Watch Waikīkī is being integrated into the Waikīkī Ecosystem Restoration Project for the comprehensive restoration and maintenance of Waikīkī Beach and its nearshore reef habitat. 

Reef Watch Waikīkī is inherently dependent upon community involvement, with activities largely led and empowered by community volunteers. With volunteers’ help, Jennifer Barrett, the program director and UH Sea Grant’s Waikīkī Coastal Coordinator, aims to accomplish several main goals: increase awareness of Hawai‘i’s marine resources among those who live, work, and play in Waikīkī; collect valuable data regarding the use and condition of near-shore resources; increase voluntary compliance with natural resource rules and regulations; enhance community capacity to influence resource management decisions; and heighten visitor satisfaction through various interactions with program volunteers.

Since its launch Reef Watch Waikīkī has had several successful activities. In early 2009, the program hosted an Ocean Awareness Training to teach community participants about topics related to Hawai‘i’s ocean environment, such as coral reef ecology, marine debris, and ocean conservation. Soon after, the program began its Beach Watcher project, which required volunteers to conduct human-use surveys and interact with beach-goers along the Waikīkī coastline to get a clearer picture of how human behavior is affecting Waikīkī’s shores. More recently, Reef Watch Waikīkī called upon snorkel-loving volunteers to assist with the new reef fish-monitoring program by surveying and identifying all forms of sea life in a section of the Waikīkī Marine Life Conservation District.

For a listing of all of our upcoming events please click here