Excerpt:
A 94-foot luxury yacht grounded near a marine sanctuary in Hawaii on Monday, leaking fuel into the ocean, the Department of Land and Natural Resources said.
Officials from the department said that private yacht Nakoa got stuck on the reef at Honolua Bay on the northern tip of West Maui, but it won’t be freed from the rocks for another few days.
Many Maui residents are concerned about the Honolua Bay area following the incident.
“I am devastated that it happened,” Maui resident Kaila Tiri told SFGATE. “[Honolua Bay] was a marine sanctuary that was protected for over a decade and a spot on Maui that everyone loved and adored deeply.”
Honolua Bay is a popular snorkeling and swimming area that is included in a Marine Life Conservation District. These sanctuaries allow aquatic life to grow and reproduce, according to the state of Hawaii. The state has often been described as the “endangered species capital of the world…”
