Hawaiiana History Prior to 1900

Hanauma Bay is the center of many Hawaiian folklore stories. In fact the name itself means "Hana" or bay and "uma" or curved.

There is no fresh water supply in the area, so archeologists are sure no one lived there. However, there has been findings of campfires and fishing tools so we know it was a popular fishing spot.

It is known that the bay has been a favorite stomping grounds of the "alii" or the hawaiian monarchs. Royalty have played and been entertained here since the early 1800's. Descendents of King Kamehameha such as Victoria Kamamalu frequented the bay and it was King Kamehmeha V's favorite fishing place. In 1883 the land was given to Bernice Pauahi Bishop, great grandaughter of King Kamehameha I. She died in 1884 and the bay along with the rest of her land holdings were placed in her estate. In 1927 the estate deeded the bay to the City and County of Honolulu to serve as a recrational park.

Modern History 1941 to present

It was feared that the Japanese would use the bay to attack Oahu, so barbed wire was set up all along the bay, and many bunkers were set into the hillsides. Although crumbling, they can still be seen alongside the mountainside today.

After the war, in 1950, the City and County of Honolulu built a road to the beach and installed new restrooms and showers. Hanauma Bay quickly became a favorite fishing and picnicking park for residents of Honolulu. Swimming at Hanauma, however, was difficult. Except for the two natural lagoons at the north end of the beach, an almost unbroken expanse of shallow reef fringed the shore.

In 1956, the City and County of Honolulu sold the Hawaiian Telephone Company an easement through the bay for the first leg of a new trans-Pacific undersea telephone cable. Barges, trucks, and bulldozers were brought in. The contractor, Hawaiian Dredging, blasted a 200-ft. wide swath through the reef. —the public now had more swimming space. The new swimming area (knee-to chest-deep at low tide) gave fish ample living space. The channel provided a way in and out, as well as improving water circulation inside the reef. Quite a few species occur today in the artificial swimming area that do not occur in the natural sandy-bottomed lagoons.

With more places to swim and easier access to deep water, Hanauma Bay increased in popularity. Many residents fished there and by the 1960’s few fish of any size were left. In 1967, and not without opposition, the State Division of Fish and Game declared the entire bay a Marine Life Conservation District, prohibiting the taking of marine life, shells, coral, rocks, or sand. One problem remained: surf entering through the wide cable channel was eroding the beach. In 1970, the City Dept. of Parks and Recreation remedied this by partially blocking the channel with an artificial reef of heavy basalt boulders. (The top of this boulder pile is easily seen from shore at low tide.) As part of the same project, and in spite of some community opposition, the City blasted and dredged more reef on the right side of the bay to create a second swimming area in front of the far restroom. The blasting and dredging created a rubble bottom in which many small animals could live and increased the habitat for larger fishes inside the reef. Also, the new boulder pile sheltered the original swimming area from incoming waves, making it more habitable for marine life. Its outer face became one of the best shallow snorkeling areas outside the reef.

About 3,000 people now visit Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve each day, making it one of the most visited beaches in the State. To keep the marine environment as natural as possible without further lowering the visitor count, the City and County of Honolulu has moved the snack bar up from the beach, build a new Education Center, and instituted a mandatory training video for first-time visitors. All beachgoers now hear a clear message of preservation, conservation, and safety before entering the water.

Today the City and County of Honolulu administers that part of Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve lying above the high tide line, and the State of Hawai’i Dept. of Land and Natural Resources manages the underwater portion.