View this post on Instagram
Surf schools seem to be a magnet for controversy. For one thing, there’s the longstanding tension with experienced surfers, who don’t appreciate a surf school pushing groups of beginners into waves at their favorite spots. Then theres competition between the schools themselves. Due to both the finite space available and the need to protect consumers from unsafe practices, cities issue a limited amount of permits for surf schools to run at popular beaches. However, the process of picking who gets those coveted permits can be fraught.
The latest example of this happened on Hawai’i’s big island. On Nov. 17, 2023, the Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR), part of the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), awarded permits to operate surf schools out of Kahulu‘u Bay, a popular beginner break. Of the 17 companies that entered, four were selected at random, using a ‘bingo style’ lottery.
However, it was quickly discovered that three of those companies were in fact owned by the same person. Kauakea LLC, Hinaea Iliahi LLC and Kona Town Adventures LLC. were all registered in 2021 by Wesley Moore. The fourth permit was awarded to Kahalu‘u Bay Surf & Sea, a company that has operated since 1997, according to its website. Though DLNR has confirmed that the practice did not run afoul of any regulations, many are still claiming that the tactic was unethical.
“It wasn’t illegal, but it’s not pono [right],” Tifani Green Stegehuis, owner of the family-operated Hawai‘i Lifeguard Surf Instructors, told Big Island Now. “… This is right before the holidays and this is when we get our income. Our entire family is like what now, come Monday?”
The lottery has been part of a lengthy process to solve the problem of how to select which surf schools can operate at Kahalu‘u. In an Instagram post, the Hawai’i DLNR said “Commercial surf instruction at the popular bay has been contentious for years because of unpermitted companies and overcrowding.” The post went on to explain that DOBOR first adopted rules for Kahulu‘u surf schools in 2016. At that time, the decision of who would be issued the permits was going to be made by a non-profit, but the organization failed to make any selections and the DOBOR was asked to take over the process using a lottery. In 2022 the DOBOR sought to have the State Legislature amend the law to allow them to select schools based on seniority, but the measure was unsuccessful.
“We knew upfront there was the possibility a single firm, with distinct individual companies established under state statutes, could be awarded all four permits,” said DOBOR Assistant Administrator Meghan Statts. “Seventeen surf companies entered the lottery, and three permits did go to three distinct companies that happen to be owned by the same individual. Under the current rules and laws, as long as the companies were legally established, there is nothing we can do to avoid what seems unfair, especially to surf schools that were not selected during the lottery.”
The permits become effective on Dec. 4. However, they are still conditional, based on permittees gaining land access permits from the County of Hawai‘i. The remaining surf schools have been placed on a waitlist and will have a chance to be issued a permit if one of the current permittees drops out.
