Anchors Away...For Now

Hawaii Superferry, an inter-island ferry which hopes to transport people and automobiles between the islands will resume service on December 1st. Now operating under a state court ruling, the ferry will be able to access Maui's Kahului Harbor - for its initial Oahu to Maui route - while an environmental assessment is being completed. As Outside posted in August, a group of surfers, kayakers, swimmers and environmentalists had initially blocked the ferry's arrival into Kauai's Nawiliwili Harbor amid concerns that the ferry would endanger whales and damage the pristine waters. The protests provided support to the Hawaiian Supreme Court's judgment that the state should have required an environmental impact study prior to the initial ferry service.
    By offering an alternative form of transportation between islands, Hawaii Superferry hopes to attract previous airplane-only travelers aboard its three-hour tours from Oahu to Maui. Future route plans include service from Oahu to Kauai and, in 2009, to the Big Island. And with current inter-island air travel remaining relatively unstable, given the sky-high price-cutting battles that the Mesa Airlines offshoot go! has waged with Hawaiian and Aloha airlines (and Hawaiian's subsequent $80-million favorable damages ruling), travel around the archipelago may soon revert to the outrigger canoe.

--Jason Kerkmans

Comments

[Brad Capriotto]

I heard about the interisland Super Ferry in the No Worries Hawaii guidebook. It has been a very hot topic, especially on Kauai. I don't think this controversy is over due to various ecological problems that the islanders don't want spread from one island to another. The infestation of coqui frogs on the Big Island needs to be addressed, the spread of GMO seeds, varmits, dengue fever. It will be interesting to see how this issue takes its course politically.

[impeachLingle.org]

I just booked 2 people and a small car round trip Oahu to Maui for March 14-16. These totals include tax, fuel charges, fees, web discounts etc.

Superferry: $472.30

Aloha + Dollar Rental Car: $254.08

Superferry costs $218 more, gives me only one departure time, takes 2 1/2 hours longer each way and will make me responsible for killing whales.

Why does Superferry think anyone would pay more, take longer, get seasick, kill whales to go from island to island - except maybe teenagers who can't rent cars yet. Ohhh, that's a scary thought!