Why Nobody Uses Boats Between the Hawaiian Islands

Bright Side

Have you ever wondered why people don’t just take boats between the Hawaiian Islands?Well, it turns out the ocean between them is rough, with strong currents and big waves that make boat travel pretty risky. 🌊⛵ Plus, the islands are farther apart than you might think, so a simple boat ride could take hours—or even days! Instead, most people just hop on a quick, easy flight, which takes only 30-45 minutes. And since there aren’t many ferry services, flying is way more convenient. So, while boating sounds fun, it's just not the best way to travel in Hawaii! 🌴🌞  Credit: CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/: sandy beach in Pyrgaki: by Georgios Tsampounaris, https://skfb.ly/oFDZN Siesta: by Emm, https://skfb.ly/opUKS SEA TRANSIT: by Charles O'Rear, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:"SEA_TRANSIT"_FERRY_HAS_BEEN_OPERATING_FOR_ONE_YEAR_BETWEEN_DOWNTOWN_HONOLULU_AND_PEARL_HARBOR_-_AN_ALTERNATIVE_TO..._-_NARA_-_553793.jpg, https://flic.kr/p/bFdAo5 The Boat ferry ride: by Daniel Ramirez, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/, https://flic.kr/p/5oV7hm Superferry aerial: by Christopher P. Becker, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, CC BY-SA 2.5 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/, CC BY-SA 1.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/1.0/, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Superferry_aerial.jpg Animation is created by Bright Side.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV   Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en Telegram: https://t.me/bright_side_official   Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

Transcript

00:00You're chillin' in Hawaii, on the island of Oahu.

00:05A friend calls you up.

00:06Hey, I'm here too!

00:08Meet me in Maui.

00:09Great, but how do you get there?

00:12Your first thought is probably to take a ferry, but that's impossible.

00:17Hawaii is a pretty unique place.

00:19It's the most expensive state to live in, it has its own official language besides English,

00:25and it's the only American state made up entirely of islands.

00:31Hawaii has a total of 137 islands, 8 are the main ones, but only 6 are open to tourists,

00:38and the distance between those islands is probably bigger than you'd expect.

00:43For example, traveling from Oahu to the big island is around 185 miles, which is about

00:50the same distance as Chicago to Indianapolis.

00:55You might be surprised that you can't make that trip by boat.

00:58In fact, the only ferry system that actually takes passengers in Hawaii runs between Maui

01:04and Lanai.

01:06That's it.

01:08So your only option is to travel between islands is by plane.

01:12Honestly, it's a little surprising, especially considering how many people visit Hawaii every

01:18year.

01:19Tourism pretty much drives their economy, and in the first 8 months of 2024 alone, over

01:246 million people visited its beautiful beaches.

01:29Knowing that, we would expect Hawaii to set up a good ferry system to make it easier for

01:34visitors to get around.

01:36Just like in Greece, this would probably boost tourism even more, bringing more money to

01:42the state.

01:43But believe me, authorities and private companies also know that.

01:48In fact, they've already tried it.

01:51Ferries were a big way of getting around in Hawaii from the 19th century up until the

01:551950s.

01:57Since then, there have been a few attempts to bring back a ferry service, but unfortunately,

02:01they have all failed.

02:03One of the biggest attempts was the Hawaii Super Ferry, which aimed to provide a fast,

02:08affordable boat service between islands.

02:11It could carry almost 900 passengers and even allow them to bring their own cars along.

02:17The trial run started in 2007, and people were excited.

02:21But it turned into a big fiasco.

02:25A bunch of legal and environmental issues came up, like concerns about the impact on

02:29marine life, especially whales.

02:32The courts decided the ferry didn't go through the proper environmental reviews, and that

02:37caused a lot of trouble.

02:40By 2009, after tons of protests and setbacks, they had to shut it down.

02:46If a project like this comes up again, it will probably fail one more time, and there

02:50are a few reasons why it's almost impossible to set up a regular ferry system there.

02:57Let's start by talking about Hawaii's rough waters.

03:00They are deep and wild.

03:03Take the Alenowiaha Channel, for example.

03:07It's a 30-mile stretch that separates Maui from the Big Island.

03:10Its name means Great Billow Smashing Channel, and it lives up to that.

03:15It's over 6,000 feet deep, making it one of the most dangerous stretches of water on

03:19Earth.

03:20The wind there is also super strong, the fastest in Hawaii's coastal waters.

03:27But it's not any easier in the rest of the archipelago.

03:30The whole region gets hit by storms from the Pacific up north, sending big waves crashing

03:36into the islands and making the waters rough and unpredictable.

03:41The swells can come from three, four, or even more directions, making the sea feel

03:45really choppy.

03:48Someone who's not used to taking ferry boats would definitely find that, well, uncomfortable,

03:53to say the least.

03:56To deal with rough seas like this, the ferries have to be really big and strong, but that

04:01also makes them more expensive and harder to run than the ones in places like Alaska

04:06or Washington State.

04:09Another reason it's so tough to set up this system today has to do with marine life.

04:15A big ship moving through the shallower waters when docking could really damage the local

04:19ecosystem.

04:22And there's also the problem that the sea routes are also the migration paths of many

04:26sea animals like humpback whales and spinner dolphins.

04:31Not to mention, ferry services can make it easier to spread harmful plants and animals,

04:36what experts call invasive species.

04:39See, Hawaii's ecosystem is super unique because it's been isolated out in the middle of the

04:45Pacific.

04:47When we talk about plants and animals that are native to Hawaii, we mean they got there

04:51on their own, no humans involved.

04:54They arrived with the help of waves, wind, or even birds flying over.

05:00But events like these are super rare, so for over 70 million years, their plants and animals

05:06didn't have to deal with outside competition.

05:10That's made them really fragile.

05:14So when new species get brought in by us, it can be a big problem, and they could end

05:19up harming the environment.

05:22Hawaii's already been battling invasive species like fire ants, coquille frogs, and meconium,

05:28a fast-growing plant from South America that takes over native forests.

05:34People there worry that ferries, which carry cars and cargo between islands, could accidentally

05:39spread these invaders even more.

05:42Like we mentioned at the beginning of the video, the long distances between their lands

05:46don't really help either.

05:48For example, if you were to travel from Oahu to the big island of Hawaii by boat, it would

05:52take around 30 hours, and that's without any stops.

05:57The same trip by plane takes about 50 minutes.

06:03Countries that cover long distances are much more expensive, so they need a much bigger

06:07demand to make them profitable.

06:10On top of that, the state doesn't really have the infrastructure, like enough ports

06:15and terminals to support the operations.

06:18So setting up new routes is pretty much out of the question.

06:22Airplanes, on the other hand, are a different story.

06:26The air travel industry in Hawaii is already well-established and super competitive.

06:32That means flying is still the most practical option in Hawaii.

06:36Planes are quick, they don't make you seasick, and are pretty affordable, usually costing

06:41around $100 for a round trip.

06:44Ok, but what do the locals think about all this?

06:48Well, apparently, there isn't a huge demand for residents to commute between the islands

06:52all that often.

06:55Oahu is the busiest island in Hawaii, with about 70% of the state's population living

07:00there.

07:02It is where Honolulu, the capital, is located, and where most of the state's business happens.

07:07So, people from the either islands usually come over for a specific doctor's appointment

07:12or to catch a big concert.

07:15And that might happen once or twice a year, no more than that.

07:20So even if people could choose between taking a ferry and a plane for these special occasions,

07:25most of them would probably still prefer flying.

07:29There are plenty of options between the main island's airports.

07:33Planes usually start flying around 5 in the morning, and there are flights available every

07:37hour until the last one, which is usually at 9 in the evening.

07:42If you've been dreaming of going to this paradisiacal place but are worried about spending too much

07:46on plane tickets, I have some tips for you!

07:51First off, keep in mind that visiting all the main islands in 5 days or less is way

07:55too ambitious.

07:57So if you don't have much time to spend there, think about your priorities.

08:02Each of the 6 islands open to tourists has its own vibe and activities.

08:07But you don't need to visit them all in one trip, and you can save some money by sticking

08:11to fewer islands.

08:13You can still explore the diversity of the islands by picking two that offer a nice contrast

08:17to each other.

08:19For example, while Oahu has that bustling city energy, Kauai has a much more relaxed

08:25vibe.

08:26Also, flights in the morning are usually cheaper, and it might be better to fly on a weekday

08:31rather than the weekend, although the price difference isn't usually huge.

08:36Hopefully these tips will save you some cash while still having an unforgettable island-hopping

08:41adventure in Hawaii!

08:43Don't forget to share this video with a friend who's also dreaming of exploring these amazing

08:48islands!

08:52That's it for today!

08:54If you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your friends!

08:58Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!

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