Out past the edge of the Waikiki shoreline where you are, beneath this azure water, lies a coral reef system that has been forming for hundreds of years, and which now faces challenges that no reef here experienced in all those centuries. The reef that runs along Waikiki's shore is a living organism, built by countless generations of coral polyps secreting calcium carbonate skeletons over centuries. Hawaiian fishermen maintained an intimate knowledge of every section of this reef, of the fish that sheltered in each coral head, of the seasonal patterns that made certain areas productive at certain times of year.
The ancient loko i'a — fishpond walls built from carefully placed stones — that once lined much of this shore were evidence of a sophisticated aquaculture system that allowed communities to maintain reliable fish supplies year-round. The warming of ocean temperatures due to climate change has caused repeated bleaching events on Hawaii's reefs, killing the symbiotic algae that give coral its color and its energy. In 2018, Hawaii became the first state to ban the sale of sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate, chemicals proven to harm coral.
The Waikiki reef is a living test of whether one of the world's most visited beaches can coexist with the ecosystem that makes it beautiful.