State officials recently extended a trial period for a stand-up paddlers corridor at Ala Moana Beach Park.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources announced in a news release last week that it has added six months of testing to give a year’s worth of experience with separating stand-up paddlers from swimmers before making a permanent decision.

The growing sport has led many stand-up paddlers to flock to the flat, calm waters of Ala Moana. But complaints of collisions and near misses led the state to install buoys in mid-May to separate stand-up paddlers and swimmers at the popular swimming beach.

Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation Administrator Ed Underwood said complaints have dropped significantly since the installation as users appear to be self-policing.

"Everybody seems to like it," he said, adding lifeguards and swimmers use the markers as a reference point.

Seven buoys were installed to create a corridor between the reef and the markers for stand-up paddlers and the waters between the markers and the shoreline for swimmers.

The project cost an estimated $1,400. Installation of the buoys was done in-house by the division.

"When we have to come in and have regulations, we have to do what’s right for everybody," Underwood said. "Not everybody is going to be happy with it. It’s better when everybody is working together and resolving their issues."

Reactions are mixed among users as to whether the buoys should remain.

Jim Hayes, a stand-up paddler and owner of Tropical Blends, a Kakaako shop that sells surfboards and stand-up paddleboards, said, "There’s a huge amount of respect from the paddleboarder to the swimmer. The paddleboarder will slow down or negotiate or paddle away from the swimmer."

The buoys are essential and should remain at the beach, he added.

Moiliili resident Cal Evans, a stand-up paddler who frequents Ala Moana Beach four times a week, noticed both paddlers and swimmers are abiding by the rules for the most part.

"I’m always looking to see where swimmers are going and avoiding them," said Evans, who paddles within the corridor. "It’s just courtesy."

He said he and his wife, a swimmer, want the state to remove the buoys.

"We would rather not have the buoys and have more freedom," he said. "There’s enough room out there for all of us."

Swimmer Floyd Cash of Kamehameha Heights recalled how paddlers "zigzagged" across the waters before the buoys were installed. "I was kind of intimidated." The markers provide a degree of separation, said Cash. "It helps me."

Swimmer Carol Mitsuda-Bagnall, a former Liliha resident who is vacationing in Hawaii from Houston, said she was surprised to see at least two dozen stand-up paddleboarders at the Ewa end of the beach over the weekend. While she misses swimming freely in a buoy-less beach, Mitsuda-Bagnall said the markers should stay put to reduce the risk of injuries.