The Rev. Michael-Michael Immanuel Israel has been asking federal, state and county agencies for more than month to remove a car-sized buoy from the shoreline at Donkey Beach near Kealia. Israel, a Lihu’e resident who regularly uses the East Kaua’i
The Rev. Michael-Michael Immanuel Israel has been asking federal, state and county agencies for more than month to remove a car-sized buoy from the shoreline at Donkey Beach near Kealia.
Israel, a Lihu’e resident who regularly uses the East Kaua’i beach for recreation and relaxation, feared the floating debris could pose a public hazard.
Israel got his wish Tuesday.
With the help of the U.S. Coast Guard and employees with the Kealia Kai agricultural residential subdivision, state Department of Land and Natural Resources officials on Kaua’i orchestrated the removal of the buoy between 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m.
The buoy was put on a state vehicle and transported to Nawiliwili Harbor. Plans call for the refurbishment of the buoy by the Coast Guard, and for its use as a quarantine buoy in an anchoring area in front of the Nawiliwili Small Boat Harbor in the future.
“It weighs 1,000 pounds and is made in China,” said Vaughan Tyndzik, district manager of DLNR’s Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation office on Kaua’i.
The buoy could have been used to gather weather information, as it appeared to have been equipped for that type of work, Tyndzik said.
“It had an antenna mount and a light fixture on top of it. It was filled with foam, and it is made of aluminum,” he said.
He said it was hard to determine what other type of equipment could have been fitted on the buoy, as it had been thrashed in the surf, Tyndzik said.
A work crew with the Kealia Kai subdivision brought equipment to the scene to move the buoy out of the surf and to put it on the state vehicle for delivery to Nawiliwili Harbor, he said.
In the future, the buoy will be repainted and refurbished by Coast Guard officials, Tyndzik said.
Swivels and a chain from existing buoys owned by the Coast Guard will be used to refurbish the buoy. After the work is done, Coast Guard officers will work with DLNR employees to “deploy it,” Tyndzik said.
Tyndzik said his division’s workers didn’t have to step in to help, but did so because it was “in the best interest of the public.
“It is a win-win situation with the Coast Guard (and those involved with the recovery of the buoy),” Tyndzik said.
Tyndzik commended Joe Borden, the DLNR harbor agent in Hanapepe, and Manny Andrade, a harbor agent in West Kaua’i, for their help in removing the buoy from the beach.
“I want to thank the Kealia Kai folks, for without them, the buoy would still be in the water,” Tyndzik said. “They had the equipment, and they were gracious enough to bring it onto the scene. It would have cost the state a lot of money to bring its equipment here.”
Israel said he was glad that someone from the government finally stepped in to take care of the buoy.
“I was at the beach. I went down at 1:30 p.m. today (Tuesday, Dec. 16), and it is gone,” Israel said. “Thank God.”
Staff Writer Lester Chang may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) or mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net.
