Sail Maui is one of several commercial businesses restarting operations out of Lahaina Harbor in December. Photo courtesy Sail Maui

The state is working with Maui County officials to allow some businesses to re-establish commercial operations at Lahaina Harbor starting on Dec. 15.

For many, the move is welcome sign of renewing activities that were halted after the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfire killed more than 100 people and destroyed much of Lahaina.

The businesses Sea Link of Hawaii, Kula Fishing Company, Sail Maui, Atlantis

Adventures and Iconoclast Inc. are being allowed to renew commercial marine operations with the loading and unloading of passengers at the dock.

According to state officials, their work to fully reopening the harbor will continue, as the state Department of Land and Natural Resources plans to allow up to 14 to 15 companies to resume operations at the harbor by February or March.

The state said the staggered rollout is based on the company’s readiness and gives the state a chance to reassess the harbor’s capacity.

Atlantis Adventures general manager Jim Walsh said the business is planning to rehire 14 people, including senior staff and certified pilots.

“We’re trying to bring back some of the staff we had before,” Walsh said.

Walsh said the company has three submarines on Oahu and plans to bring back one of them for daily operations on Maui. The companies would be allowed to operate from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Because there is no mooring inside the harbor, the vessels will have to find a place to moor elsewhere.

While active loading and unloading may take place at the Lahaina Harbor wharf, parking is also prohibited along Front Street. However, the county is allowing parking in designated areas at the Baldwin House at 120 Dickenson Street, as well as at 500 Front St. mauka of Lahaina Shores Beach Resort and at 116 Prison St. mauka of King Kamehameha III Elementary School.

Maui County Deputy Managing Director Erin Wade said similar to the Park Maui program in Wailuku and Kihei, the county will be using workers to guide drivers to the proper location for parking.

John Smith, the administrator for the Maui County Office of Recovery, said the commercial activities will be limited to the daytime hours.

“This is really just the next phase of what’s happening at the harbor,” he said. “We are not opening, but we are going to have some limited activity.”

Areas that remain closed in Lahaina include Lahaina Banyan Tree Park, the former Kamehameha III Elementary lot, Kamehameha Iki Park (beach access to break walls remains open), Malu Ulu o Lele, and any other place fenced or labeled as off-limits.

Don Prestage, president of Sail Maui, said his business is excited to return to Lahaina and is approaching its return with a lot of care.

He said the Sail Maui crew will meet guests in the parking lot and walk them to and from the dock each day to make sure visitors do not wander into private property.

Prestage added that Sail Maui is also dedicating one afternoon each week to offer a complimentary sail for Lahaina residents.

“Our hope is to return in a way that feels thoughtful, aligned and supportive of the community,” Prestage said. “We’ll continue doing this as long as needed so anyone who wants to get back on the water can join us. … Before the fire, Lahaina Harbor was the center of our work and our community. Our business was strong, but more than that, Lahaina was home for us. It’s where our identity as a company was shaped.”

Trilogy Excursions Maui co-owner Denver Coons also plans to restart business operations in Lahaina in March.

Coons said the vessel is being built in St. Croix to replace the one that burned in the 2023 wildfire, and the company is fully staffed to conduct tours, including whale watches.

He said the company, established in 1973, will bring its fleet back to seven vessels on Maui.

“We’re looking forward to a revitalized and renewed Lahaina,” he said.

According to the state, Lahaina Harbor had 32 permits in slips and 15 vessels moored elsewhere. Since the wildfire, 89 vessels have been removed from the harbor, the state said.

At an estimated cost by the county of $30 million, Lahaina Harbor is scheduled to be fully restored in about two years.

The state has a number of projects that it hopes to complete, including the dredging of the channel and harbor, replacement of front-row piers and dinghy dock, and work on the inner and outer marginal wharf.