2015 Assessment of MR boating operations - Dr. Sam Kahng
In the summer of 2015, Dr. Sam Kahng of Marine Science Consulting LLC was tasked by the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) with assessing the operations and safety of manta ray boat tours in Hawaii.
They studied the boats and their operations at the two main manta ray viewing sites on the Kona Coast of the Big Island:
Makako Bay (Manta Heaven) by the Kona International Airport
Keauhou Bay (Manta Village) in front of the Outrigger Kona Resort & Spa.
The goal was to assess boating activity and identify safety issues. In September 2015, they presented the results of their study to the Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative Research Program (HCRI-RP).
How the Study was Conducted
Stage 1: interviews, surveys, and additional input
First, the team conducted interviews and surveys to collect input from 26 stakeholder organizations and companies, to assess
1. Current operations. These included
Equipment
Normal procedures
Crew training and experience
Emergency protocols.
2. Perceived human safety risk factors
3. Efficacy and limitations of voluntary protocols
4. Perceived regulatory solutions and limitations
Once they had completed the above steps, they contacted all known manta ray tour operators and gave everyone the opportunity to provide input.
They also collected feedback from safety and regulatory organizations, relevant non-profit organizations, adjacent land owners and managers, and one private boater.
Stage 2: manta ray viewing site observations
The team then surveyed and mapped both viewing areas. They inspected moorings and observed the night-time activity on the sites, both from land and onboard tour boats… and even from the second floor of a shoreside hotel, allowing for a better overview of the site.
They paid attention to
People’s activity in the water
Boat activity before, during, and after the swim
Any behavior or activities that increased or decreased safety risks
Potentially hazardous situations
Observations: Up to 30 Boats per Manta Ray Viewing Site
Mooring Tour Boats
Each viewing site offers several moorings with subsurface floats located close to the “campfire” that attracts the manta rays.
However, the number of moorings (7 at Makao Bay and 4 at Keauhou) cannot accommodate the number of boats (up to 30 on busy nights); this means that different vessels simultaneously use a mooring.
When several boats are attached end-to-front (“daisy chained”) to each other and the surf is up, or winds shift, the vessels bump into each other. This can be dangerous when people or manta rays are in the water close to them.
Other vessels don’t even attempt to use the moorings and even throw their anchor straight onto the coral reef, damaging it.
Alternatively, instead of anchoring, they “live boat”: they keep their engines on and propellers running throughout the activity. This is the case not only when there are too many boats at a site already - but also when a vessels arrives after dark and can’t locate a mooring.
Observations at Manta Heaven (Airport Site)
The Manta Heaven viewing site at the airport can’t be accessed directly from the rocky shore, as it’s situated right next to the Kona International Airport. As a result, it’s exclusively accessible by boat.
In August 2015, the team found 42 commercial boat tour operators providing nighttime snorkeling and/or scuba diving tours to view mantas. The boats varied from small 6-passenger vessels to large boats with 40+ passengers.
Depending on the weather, this amounted to an average of 12-13 motorized vessels a night and up to 30 boats on one viewing site on busy nights. This amounts to more than 290 people in one site on the busiest nights.
While some operators only take guests out a few nights a week, some larger companies offer nightly tours, even in multiple shifts. In most cases, several boats are active (live boating) while the majority of people are in the water, creating extremely unsafe situations.
In addition, the team observed individual snorkelers or guides straying far from their boat or group raft without a light.
Observations at Manta Village (Keauhou Bay)
This study's other manta ray viewing site is located at Keauhou Bay.
Commercial operators at this site primarily focus on snorkelers and operate up to 3 shifts nightly.
However, when manta rays are not sighted at Manta Heaven, the companies that normally offer tours on that site move their operations to Manta Village.
Between June and August 2015, the team found up to 28 boats on-site simultaneously, with probably over 310 people in the water at some time of the night.
With vessels arriving and departing through the evening and night, the site has continuous live boating activity.
Since the site is technically accessible from the shore (despite lava rock entry), the constant coming and going of individuals in kayaks, SUPs, and swimmers contributes heavily to the chaos and disorganization - and creates additional unsafe situations.
Hazards and Factors Contributing to Severity and Likelihood of Accidents
The research team identified several hazards that are likely to occur and could lead to severe injury or death, including
A live vessel (with its engine on) or propeller striking a swimmer, snorkelers, or diver
An anchor striking a diver under the surface
High-speed boat-to-boat collision
(find the full list in the report, linked below)
For each type of hazard, the team also listed factors that can influence how severe the accident could be - and how likely it is for an incident to occur. Contributing factors are
Natural ocean and atmospheric conditions like surf and waves, especially winter swells
The snorkeling or diving ability and the physical health of the individual snorkeler/diver
The crew's skill, experience, and readiness. This includes the crew-participant ratio, training, attentiveness, knowledge of emergency procedures, and availability of medical equipment.
Operating procedures in the water: do the participants stay closely together, do they use group flotation devices, do they use individual lights?
Crowding: number of boats + number of participants in the water
Live boating near swimmers and divers
Availability and integrity (working order) of mooring
The team identified the most severe hazard for the night-time manta viewing operations as a live vessel or propeller striking a human or animal. The likelihood of this happening increases with the number of live boating vessels and people in the water, their proximity to each other, the visibility of the swimmers and boats, the speed of the live boating vessels, and the crew's attentiveness.
The Tour Operator Standards
The report mentions community cooperation and the voluntary tour operator standards that a group of tour operators established in 2013.
The study acknowledges that the standards have improved the safety of manta ray viewing operations despite the high number of participants; however, not all tour operators follow these standards, as adherence is completely voluntary.
You can find the tour operator standards on this page.
Conclusion: a SEVERE Accident will LIKELY OCCUR
This 2015 study concluded that the current activity provides ample opportunity for a SEVERE accident (involving a motoring vessel striking an in-water person) to occur.
Or to quote literally from the study:
“Given the large number of vessels and in-water persons participating in this night-time activity, a severe accident will likely occur in the future without significant mitigation of the existing risk factors.
The numbers of vessels and persons participating in manta ray activities are major factors increasing the likelihood of an accident;
However, there are currently no effective controls that regulate capacity, despite the growing demand for this activity.
There are also no regulations governing recreational or commercial swimming/snorkeling activity at night amongst actively motoring vessels,
despite the inherent hazards associated with this activity.”
They couldn’t have phrased it more clearly.
