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 | INVASIVE SPECIES — no size or bag limit. Spearfishing Roi is encouraged to help protect native reef ecosystems. Do not release back into the water. DLNR DAR |
MEDIUM |
| To‘au Blacktail Snapper |
INVASIVE | INVASIVE SPECIES — no size or bag limit. Removal encouraged; do not release. HAR 13-52 |
LOW |
| Ta'ape Bluestripe Snapper |
INVASIVE | INVASIVE SPECIES — no size or bag limit. Spearfishing Ta'ape is encouraged to help protect native reef ecosystems. Do not release back into the water. DLNR DAR |
LOW |
| Uku Gray Snapper / Green Jobfish |
NATIVE | No statewide size or bag limit. Ka'ūpūlehu Marine Reserve: Uku may be taken by hook-and-line seaward of 20 fathoms only. HAR 13-60.4 |
LOW |
| Umaumalei Orangespine Unicornfish |
NATIVE | No statewide size or bag limit. HAR 13-52 |
LOW |
| Uhu Parrotfish |
NATIVE | Miloli'i CBSFA: no spearing uhu at night; special size/bag limits for uhu 'ahu'ula and uhu pālukaluka Mar–May. Bag limit of 3 other uhu per person per day in Miloli'i, only one terminal-phase. HAR 13-60.10 |
LOW |
| Kumu Whitesaddle Goatfish |
NATIVE | No statewide size or bag limit. DLNR DAR |
LOW |
| 'Ōmilu Bluefin Trevally |
NATIVE | No statewide size or bag limit. Counted in the combined ulua/papio bag limit in managed areas. HAR 13-52 |
LOW |
| Ulua Giant Trevally |
NATIVE | No size or bag limit statewide. Kailua Bay FMA: bag limit of 20 fish total for ulua/papio/omilu combined. HAR 13-52 |
MEDIUM |
| Kahala Amberjack / Yellowtail |
NATIVE | No statewide size or bag limit. Ciguatera risk is elevated — avoid fish over 20 lbs from certain areas. Consult local advisories. DLNR DAR |
HIGH |
| 'Ono Wahoo |
NATIVE | No statewide size or bag limit. DLNR DAR |
LOW |
| Mahi-Mahi Dolphinfish |
NATIVE | No statewide size or bag limit. DLNR DAR |
LOW |
Everything in the table above is 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.
The exception: invasive species. Roi, taʻape, and toʻau carry no limit here, and 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.
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.