Hanauma Bay is a nature preserve located on the island of Oahu in the state of Hawaii. Hanauma Bay is a culturally significant location for native Hawaiians as it was used by ancient Hawaiians for fishing and was even a favorite fishing camp for Hawaiian royalty. Today Hanauma Bay is owned by the estate of Bernice Pauahi Bishop which is better known as Kamehameha Schools.

During the 1950’s Hawaiian Telephone Company blasted a trail through the bay to lay an undersea telephone cable thereby killing the bay’s coral reef, fortunately the marine life bounced back. In 1967 Hanauma Bay was declared a Marine Life Conservation District thereby prohibiting the removal of marine life, coral, sand, and shells among other things. After many improvements by the city Hanauma Bay became a popular tourist destination seeing as many as 10,000 visitors per day during the late 1980′s.

Such high visitor numbers began to have a negative impact on the bay’s ecosystem. During the 1990’s, in an effort to minimize this impact the city enacted measures to teach conservation as well as reduce the number of visitors. All commercial activities were banned and stricter controls on parking were enacted. Meanwhile a volunteer organization called Friends of Hanauma Bay educated visitors on how to reduce their impact on marine life and the environment. Through both of their efforts the bay began to bounce back.

Today Hanauma Bay is visited by roughly 3,000 people each day and due to the city’s restrictions and volunteer’s education efforts the bay is able to sustain those numbers without any substantial impact to the environment. With new modern day facilities and an exciting education center Hanauma Bay has remained the most beloved destinations for visitors and is an ideal beach to bring your family to. Visit Hanauma Bay nature preserve and see why this beautiful bay is one of the most visited beaches in the state!