Hawaii Spearfishing
Regulations Cheat Sheet
The non-resident license (all visiting Top Shot Spearfishing guests 15+)
Buy it online before your dive. It takes a few minutes, and the digital license on your phone is your proof. 1-day $20 · 7-day $40 · annual $70 (plus a small processing fee).
Buy your license at fishing.hawaii.gov →
| Species | Status | Rules | Ciguatera |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roi Peacock Grouper |
INVASIVE | No size or bag limit. Removal is encouraged. Spearing is still prohibited in Marine Life Conservation Districts, the Kaʻūpūlehu Marine Reserve, and Kailua Bay Zone A. Our house rule: never release a speared roi. HAR 13-95 (not listed), HAR 13-60.4 |
MEDIUM |
| To‘au Blacktail Snapper |
INVASIVE | No size or bag limit. Removal is encouraged. Spearing is still prohibited in Marine Life Conservation Districts, the Kaʻūpūlehu Marine Reserve, and Kailua Bay Zone A. Our house rule: never release a speared toʻau. HAR 13-95 (not listed), HAR 13-60.4 |
LOW |
| Ta'ape Bluestripe Snapper |
INVASIVE | No size or bag limit. Removal is encouraged. Spearing is still prohibited in Marine Life Conservation Districts, the Kaʻūpūlehu Marine Reserve, and Kailua Bay Zone A. Our house rule: never release a speared taʻape. HAR 13-95 (not listed), HAR 13-60.4 |
LOW |
| Uku Gray Snapper / Green Jobfish |
NATIVE | Speared uku must weigh at least 1 pound. No bag limit. In the Kaʻūpūlehu Marine Reserve, spearing is prohibited; uku may be taken there only by hook-and-line seaward of 20 fathoms. HAR 13-95-15, HAR 13-60.4 |
LOW |
| Hagi Black Durgon |
NATIVE | No statewide size or bag limit for black durgon. Top Shot house standards apply: 2 per species, 5 total. HAR 13-95 (not listed) |
LOW |
| Na'ena'e Orangeband Surgeonfish |
NATIVE | No statewide size or bag limit for na'ena'e. Top Shot house standards apply: 2 per species, 5 total. HAR 13-95 (not listed) |
LOW |
| Umaumalei Orangespine Unicornfish |
NATIVE | No statewide size or bag limit. HAR 13-95 (not listed) |
LOW |
| Uhu Parrotfish |
NATIVE | Statewide: uhu pālukaluka (redlip parrotfish) and its green terminal phase, uhu ʻeleʻele, must be at least 14 inches; all other uhu, 10 inches. Bag limit 2 uhu per person per day, all parrotfish species combined. In the Miloliʻi CBSFA, uhu ʻeleʻele may not be taken at all; uhu pālukaluka is closed March through May, and June through February is limited to 1 fish between 14 and 20 inches. No spearing uhu at night, and no spearing uhu in the Puakaiʻa zone. HAR 13-95-16, HAR 13-60.10 |
LOW |
| Kumu Whitesaddle Goatfish |
NATIVE | Minimum size 10 inches (snout tip to tail fork). No statewide bag limit. Maui has stricter rules. HAR 13-95-7 |
LOW |
| 'Ōmilu Bluefin Trevally |
NATIVE | ʻŌmilu counts as ulua under state law. Minimum size 10 inches (16 inches to sell). Bag limit 20 per person per day, all ulua and pāpio combined. HAR 13-95-22 |
LOW |
| Ulua Giant Trevally |
NATIVE | Minimum size 10 inches (16 inches to sell). Bag limit 20 per person per day, all ulua and pāpio species combined, including ʻōmilu. In the Kailua Bay FMA, spearing is allowed only in Zone B, not the inner Zone A by the pier. HAR 13-95-22, HAR 13-52 |
MEDIUM |
| Kahala Amberjack / Yellowtail |
NATIVE | No statewide size or bag limit. HAR 13-95 (not listed) |
HIGH |
| 'Ono Wahoo |
NATIVE | No statewide size or bag limit. HAR 13-95 (not listed) |
LOW |
| Mahi-Mahi Dolphinfish |
NATIVE | No statewide size or bag limit. HAR 13-95 (not listed) |
LOW |
2 per species, 5 total. House rules.
The Rules column above summarizes state law. On our tours, the law is the floor, not the bar. We hold ourselves and our guests to standards Hawaiʻi doesn’t require:
Two fish per person, per species. No matter what the law allows, no guest takes more than two of any given fish. Where state law is stricter, the law wins: uhu are capped at 2 per person per day across all parrotfish species combined.
Five fish total, per guest, per day. Across all species combined, five native fish is the day’s take-home cap.
The exception: invasive species. Roi, taʻape, and toʻau don’t count toward either number. No limit, no cap. We encourage guests to take as many as they can. Every roi comes out of the water and goes to Reef to Root as organic fertilizer, never to the table. Taʻape and toʻau are excellent eating.
Our own size minimums. On several native species we set minimums above the legal line, based on the size at which a fish has likely spawned at least once (biologists call it L50). Umaumalei, for example, has no state size limit at all; on our dives the minimum is 10 inches. Your guide briefs the day’s standards before you get in the water.
The reason is simple: we’ve been diving this coastline since 2009 and plan to be here long after. Fish that spawn before they reach the cooler keep the reef producing.
Universal rules on every Top Shot Spearfishing dive
Speargun never crosses the path of another diver. Speargun always pointed down and away. Stay within 100 feet of the dive flag. Only shoot target species that clear both the legal limits and our own standards. Never shoot into the reef. It’s illegal and it breaks the gear. Respect the ocean and everything living in it.