KIHEI, Maui — The waters surrounding Molokini, one of the state's top diving and snorkeling spots, will be closed Jan. 30 to allow for detonation of three pieces of unexploded ordnance on the tiny island.

A 250-pound bomb, a 105mm projectile and a 5-inch rocket were found during surface surveys completed in December 2006 and March 2007 by the Navy at the request of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is proposing to establish Molokini as an "overlay unit" attached to Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge.

The agency said the action would protect a large colony of nesting seabirds and help restore native plants on the crescent-shaped island 2.5 miles off Maui's south coast.

The waters within a nautical mile of Molokini will be closed for 10 hours or less during the ordnance operation, said Fish and Wildlife Pacific Islands spokeswoman Barbara Maxfield.

Although the work is scheduled for Jan. 30, the date could be changed due to unpredictable weather, she said. The Coast Guard is establishing a safety zone from Jan. 27 through Feb. 8 that will be enforced only during the actual hours of disposal activity.

Exact times of the closure will be announced over marine band VHF channel 16 prior to enforcement.

COULD HURT BUSINESS

Capt. Jim Coon, co-owner of Trilogy Excursions and president of the Ocean Tourism Coalition, said the ordnance operation will take place during the tourist high season, and that the loss of even a single day's business would be a big financial hit for tour boat companies.

The industry already has to deal with weather-related cancellations, he said.

Uncertainty over the date of the project also makes it difficult to take reservations for that period "in good conscience," Coon said.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources, which manages the waters surrounding the island as a state marine life conservation district, said there are 41 commercial permit holders for Molokini. Coon estimates 1,000 snorkelers a day visit the site.

Coon suggested waiting to do the work until early December, a slower tourism period near the end of the nesting season and before the humpback whale season is in full swing. Another compromise would be to schedule it for afternoon hours, after snorkel tours have left the area, over several days, he said.

"There's a way this could happen without any negative financial impact for any of the charter boat companies," he said. "Those ordnance have been there for decades, and they are not going to blow up any time soon."

Maxfield said the project involves a major commitment of Coast Guard and military resources, and rescheduling or stretching the job out over several days would be difficult.

The operation was timed to avoid disturbing seabirds, and the ordnance also is a threat to public safety, she said. Since the bombs were discovered, the DLNR has halted bird-banding activities on Molokini, Maxwell said, and Coast Guard personnel must maintain navigational aids there.

Given the age and condition of the ordnance, she said, the Navy survey team was not able to determine its internal composition and the items are being treated as hazardous. Military ordnance experts decided the safest and most effective approach would be to burn the 250-pound bomb in place and detonate the other two items within a crater on the island, she said.

Disposal of the ordnance must take place before the overlay refuge can be established, Maxfield said. The island would remain under Coast Guard ownership, and the Fish and Wildlife Service would continue to work with the DLNR to monitor the seabird colony.

The overlay refuge would include only the island itself, and the state would continue to manage the surrounding waters

"We recognize this will be a short-term inconvenience for residents and commercial entities who normally visit Molokini to snorkel and dive, but in the long term this action will ensure the safety of people involved in restoration efforts on the island, as well as the wildlife that inhabit it," said Glynnis Nakai, refuge manager for the Maui National Wildlife Refuge Complex, in a statement.

Molokini hosts a large colony of as many as 3,200 adult wedge-tailed shearwaters that nest there from March to mid-December. Other inhabitants include a smaller nesting population of Bulwer's petrels, and great frigatebirds and noddies that use the island for roosting.

Because the ordnance is located approximately 300 feet above sea level and the island has a hard substrate, the operation is not expected to impact humpback whales or other marine animals, Maxfield said. However, underwater sound levels will be monitored.

Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com.