Mud floods: Hawaiʻi's struggling corals dealt new blow

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Coral reefs already face a litany of threats. Experts say storm runoff from the recent Kona lows will only make matters worse.

Divers have barely started to survey the damage below the surface, as the lingering murky, polluted waters have kept most areas unsafe to enter throughout the state. Still, a worrisome picture is emerging.

The coastal waters off Waialua, the area hardest hit on Oʻahu by the floods, boast beautiful, abundant coral that stretch to the island’s northwestern tip, at Kaʻena Point, said Alika Garcia, a diver, spear fisherman and executive director of the nonprofit Kuleana Coral Restoration.

Those waters remain chocolate brown, raising concerns coral bleaching or even die-offs could occur there.

Early reports indicate Maui coral reefs off Kīhei were hit hard by the record rainfall’s torrents of mud, said Joe Pollock, a senior reef strategy lead with The Nature Conservancy.

West Maui’s sprawling Olowalu reef, Pollock said, is also a major point of concern. It seeds other coral colonies across the Maui region and regularly endures storm runoff. Pollock and his colleagues further worry about damage to Hawaiʻi island reefs off Kealakekua Bay, Kahuwai Bay and South Kohala.

Hawaiʻi corals are already struggling to survive against warming seas from climate change, cesspools, overtourism and other human impacts. Goats, pigs, deer and other animals brought to the islands dig up soil loosely held in place by invasive plants and send it downstream, fueling the toll.

The mud isn’t the only threat. On Oʻahu’s south shore, strong waves propelled by the Kona lows caused extensive coral damage, Ocean Alliance Project Executive Director Dylan Brown said.

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