Investigations for Providing Wave Protection in Concert with Preserving the Maalaea Pipeline at Maalaea Harbor, Maui, Hawaii

Abstract : At the request of the U.S. Army Engineer District, Honolulu, a coastal physical model investigation of Maalaea Harbor was conducted. Purposes of this investigation included: (a) evaluating various structural alternatives for reducing wave heights within the harbor, (b) improving navigation conditions at the harbor entrance, and (c) evaluating the effects of the various alternatives on the surfing sites which is believed to be a first for this type of investigation. Based on results of the coastal model investigation, comparisons with prototype wave data and videos of prototype waves, and opinions of visitors familiar with local surfing conditions at Maalaea Harbor, it is concluded that: (a) the model replicated both the waves that comprise the Maalaea Pipeline and the unacceptably high wave conditions that presently exist within the harbor, and (b) based on the exhaustive wave data presented herein, observations by model operators with extensive experience and observations of visitors familiar with the Maalaea Pipeline, it was concluded that none of the alternatives investigated herein should have a measurable effect on the Maalaea Pipeline.