Coastal erosion is back in the headlines after a home on Oahu’s North Shore collapsed onto the beach Monday morning after high surf continued to eat away at the coastline, leaving a string of neighbors also at risk (“Home collapses on Hawaii’s North Shore, more likely to follow“).
Back in 2018, after a series of news stories about what was already an alarming situation with erosion threatening homes along that same coast, I wrote about our own experience while looking at houses back in early 1988.
It’s a bad situation. But it’s not new.
Thirty years ago, we were looking to buy a house or apartment in a more rural part of Oahu where housing was far more affordable than in Honolulu. That led us to a realtor specializing in North Shore properties, and in early 1988 he drove us, along with an airline pilot looking for an investment property, to see several places from Mokuleia to the condominiums at Turtle Bay.
At one point he stopped to show us a small house somewhere in the Sunset Beach area that, he said, was owned or had been owned by a son of the actor, Robert Mitchum. It was a relatively small house sort of in the middle of a large lawn. He walked us over to the ocean side of the lot, overlooking the beach.
He pointed out into the ocean some distance, perhaps 30-40 feet.
“So you see that tree branch sticking out of the water? That’s your property line,” he said dramatically. “If you wanted, you could probably bring in fill and extend the yard.”
We were stunned by this attempt to turn a big negative, coastal erosion, into a positive, the idea that the area could be reclaimed from the Pacific Ocean with a bit of fill. I doubt such a thing would be either legal or feasible. Really, it was absurd then, and more so in hindsight.
But I can really feel for those folks living in oceanfront homes along the North Shore. It’s only going to get worse.
So this crisis has been a long time in the making, with lots of warnings along the way that the future was less than rosy for oceanfront properties generally, and the risk was especially high in a few areas, including this spot along the North Shore.
It’s time to retreat from the ocean in these high risk. And it’s “buyer beware” for those looking to enjoy oceanfront living. You’ve had plenty of warning. But I have to wonder whether other realtors might also be glossing over the risks in order to generate sales. Might their misstatements about coastal erosion create legal liability to buyers?
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Aloha Ian, I always look forward to your posts.
Coastal erosion is inevitable. There are atolls northwest of Hawai’i that used to be the size of the main Hawaiian islands eons ago.
Those who purchased shoreline properties should be told about that fact of nature.
Perhaps there needs to be legislation or zoning that restricts any construction within a certain distance of the high water mark of any sandy shoreline. And definitely laws prohibiting sea walls.
Along that same shoreline, in 1969, high waves from a distant off-shore storm wiped out 15 homes. Back then everyone feared a new ice age, not an indeterminate ‘climate change.’ Our old retired fireman friend was called to duty that day and told me of the 15. And someone I know was sitting, that same day in 1969, on a picnic table at the nearby shoreline and had to climb a tree to escape the surge that also went into the nearby home (that one had scuppers for the water to drain back out, and survived). Yes, this is nothing new, nor should it be unexpected. The house that fell in perhaps could have been moved and put up on piers further back, or perhaps moved to another lot. I have empathy for the homeowner, though….most people’s net worth is tied up in their house.
Someone should tell “expert” Chip Fletcher that erosion on an island is a natural occurrence.
Your analysis is correct that the much older Northern Hawaiian Islands, geographically depleted over time and the same will happen, on our primary eight islands.
Besides in 1969 there weren’t half as many homes on the North Shore. Beach walls and landscaping were much less common.
The walls worked for a while, but then expedited, permanent beach removal.
Malahini means newcomer so it is understandable that you would think putting quotes around “expert” is appropriate as a reference to Chip Fletcher, indicating you question whether he knows what he is talking about. If you were a kamaaina, you would know that Dr. Fletcher and his colleagues are among the leading authorities on beach erosion and accretion in Hawaii. A short search either at the State Library or on-line would turn up multiple studies and research projects by him and his team
I find these comments interesting…….like a lot of things it’s just a matter of perspective. Normally, when something happens like this all you hear is the climate change screams. Now you read the comments here that it’s all a natural occurrence and been happening for a long time. hmmmmmmmm…..
There’s no contradiction here. Yes, there are long term processes that have occurred as our islands aged. Those changes take place in geological time, over long periods. Yes, those are inevitable. But sea level rise due to climate change is a different beast, driving these changes in decades rather than over many millennia, and human activity is a major factor in this.
The geological events should be separated from “Global Warming”. Building and development on filled fishponds and loi in areas like Salt Kaka’ako, Waikiki, artificial Ala Wai Canal, Hawaii Kai, Enchanted Lakes and Mapunapuna Industrial area, come to mind.
If proponents of “G.W.” are to be taken seriously, they can not merely point out errantly placed development, on geographically inappropriate locations. Built with questionable compaction and prior soils testing.
The entirety of impacts must be itemized for credibility. Also waterway realignments in the case of the Ala Wai Canal.
Simple, claiming all coastal news is caused by “G.W.” is incorrect and misleading..
Thank you for your response. Good point.
I think new rules went into effect recently requiring realtors to disclose sea level rise risks. Of course, that will not stop some from trying to gloss over the issue. And considering how accommodating the state has been to environmentally unfriendly requests for sea wall exemptions and the like, their glosses may have some credibility.
I’ve seen worse, check out Washaway beach in Pacific County, Washington. They average losing about 100 ft per year. So many homes have been eaten up by the ocean there over the years.
Going back further than that, in the 60s, Kalama Park in Kihei had a very nice, sandy, kid-friendly beach. But that beach was eroding, and the park structures were getting closer and closer to the beach.
So in the 70s, the county decided to build a seawall to protect those structures, and that was the end of that beach.
I’ve been told that makai of Front Street in Lahaina, there used to also be a sandy beach, and some of the buildings on the makai side, that are now over water, used to have a beach between them and the ocean.
I get it. Seawalls are generally bad (George Downing, Save our Surf Foundation was the best at describing it). BUT…the owners that I saw being interviewed on the North Shore, Haleiwa seemed like salt of the earth people, some living there for a long time. There needs to be some compassion (including allowing them to shore up their properties…even with just sand “donuts”) while the long-term legal solutions are being hammered out.
Ian, You hit the nail on the head. Costal events should fall into a clearly defined causation factors:
1. Geologic erosion.
2. Questionable site’s development location and sustainability of fill material. With evaluation of construction techniques and compaction.
3. Area where significant sand was removed, affecting a entire district.
4. waterway and drainage relocation and alteration.
5. Sea level rise, identify and isolate Global Warming vs. natural and man made factors.
If U.H. Professor Chip Fletcher want’s to gain respect through understanding.
Kamaina, with local knowledge see false, umbrella claims of “G.W.” that are clearly apples and oranges.
Dr. Chip Fletcher’s studies of coastal erosion and accretion of beaches in Hawaii are the gold standard for understanding what has been going on with those beaches. A key method used involves comparison of historic aerial photos of the beaches to document and measure the growth or erosion over the years. Information from a wide variety of sources including local observers comments about changes seen are considered in preparing their reports which are used by State and County authorities in regulating coastal development
I Am reminded that 700 years ago the town of Kailua was open ocean. Ulupo heiau in Kawanui marsh was beachfront property. I guess you can say that the ocean giveth and the ocean taketh.
Over 20 years ago work by Chip Fletcher documented that over time the North Shore beaches were eroding and that it would make sense to require homes with coastal frontage to setback farther from the shoreline an amount reflecting the historic rate of erosion. That seemed a reasonable idea to the city planners, who under the leadership of Art Challacombe, proposed regulations for the affected areas to be adopted by the City Council. North Shore owners of affected properties organized a vigorous opposition to the proposed increased setback, demanding they be allowed to build right up to the existing beach. The Council gave in and did not add the buffer to keep development back beyond the projected erosion. As a result, owners built right up to the legal setback limit, and, now 20 years later, as projected, their homes are in danger of falling into the ocean
Sellers of such coastal properties have a legal responsibility to disclose to buyers any historical coastal erosion and/or flooding of the property. My understanding is that sellers recently have been required to also inform buyers of projected coastal erosion and/or flooding, including that due to climate change.
The sea level rise disclosure bill SB474 was passed into law on 7/6/2021. There is now a written understanding when buyers buy the affected coastal properties they understand they are taking a risk and cannot apply for emergency permits by the State or counties to help save their properties.
https://hawaii.surfrider.org/sb474/
Thank you for that relevant history.