Surfrider Foundation is seeking to sustain environmental recovery at popular beach and snorkeling areas on Kauai after seven months’ hiatus in tourist activities by launching a new Ocean Friendly Visitors outreach program, the nonprofit announced last week.

“While it’s difficult to find any good in the pandemic shutdowns here on Kaua‘i, one silver lining has been that our beaches, ocean and reefs have had some time to recover from over-tourism (as well as) the 2018 floods and Hurricane Lane,” said Carl Berg, senior scientist with Surfrider Kauai.

The Surfrider program was announced before Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami got approval Friday to opt out of the state’s pre-travel testing program for tourists. Starting Wednesday, Kauai will no long­er allow visitors to avoid a mandatory 14-day quarantine by getting tested for COVID-19 before leaving the mainland. Essentially, all visitors will be required to do the 14-day quarantine.

Kawakami made the change to protect Kauai from the spread of COVID-19 by cutting down on the number of tourists visiting the Garden Isle. When tourists do return in larger numbers, the Surfrider Foundation aims to educate them about how they can avoid damaging the fragile health of Kauai’s ocean resources, which have also suffered from recent violent storms.

“Visitors to Kauai come to enjoy (its) natural beauty, (but) our once pristine beaches, reefs abundant with sea life, and healthy ocean have been compromised, in part, by over-tourism,” Cynthia Welti, chairwoman of Surfrider Kauai Chapter chairwoman, said in a statement.

Berg noted in an email that scientists have observed a comeback of coral reef ecosystems on Kauai, including those in the Haena Community Based Subsistence Fishing Area and at Anini on the north shore of Kauai.

“Although the data has not been fully analyzed yet, the definite impression at these sites, as at Hanauma Bay on Oahu, is that there is an increase in fish biomass, species diversity and the presence of species previously rarely seen in those areas,” Berg wrote.

While “the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) hasn’t been doing any specific studies to look at the effects of fewer visitors on the reefs,” Andrew McWhorter, communications specialist for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, said in an email, “they did complete yearly monitoring in Haena and saw a higher number of large fish than had been seen in previous years.”

McWhorter said DAR is still analyzing the data and “should be able to have more information later on.”

Another, more anecdotal observation some scientists have noted on Kauai, Berg added, is that the fish come closer to the divers or are less likely to swim away than before. Scientists studying Hanauma Bay during its ongoing pandemic closure have recounted similar behaviors but said they are waiting to compare them with behaviors after visitors return before drawing conclusions.

In general, Berg said, there was also good recruitment of baby coral on Kauai reefs during the summer.

“We await the reports of these scientists and hope that (studies) will continue as tourists come back to Kauai,” Berg said. “We now have baseline studies and it will be very interesting to see the effects of increased tourism since (reopening began) Oct. 15th.”

Surfrider’s statement expressed hope the Ocean Friendly Visitors program will be widely accepted, resulting in “little adverse effect on our ocean, reefs and beaches” from reopening.

The program encourages:

>> Solo and family beach cleanups, with proper disposal of trash.

>> Using reusable water bottles and bags rather than single-use plastics that are polluting the oceans, ingested by sea life and littering shores.

>> Using reef-friendly sunscreen and following snorkeling “do’s and don’ts” such as not touching or stepping on coral.

>> Admiring Hawaiian monk seals and turtles from afar so as to not interfere with their rest and feeding.

>> Practicing COVID-19 etiquette by properly disposing of single-use PPE and wearing reusable PPE.

>> Supporting Surfrider- designated Ocean Friendly Restaurants, which are committed to reducing waste, and avoiding single-use plastic foodware whenever possible.

Surfrider Kauai will also work with hotels and vacation rental management companies to educate visitors about the program and organize activities such as beach cleanups.

For more information, visit kauai.surfrider.org/ocean- friendly-visitors-program.