Stand-up paddleboarders and swimmers will be separated at Ala Moana Beach Park under a new voluntary system developed by the Department of Land and Natural Resources and endorsed by concerned ocean users today.

Under the new plan ocean buoys would be installed to divide the length of the waterway, allowing paddleboarders an 80-foot wide corridor between the buoys and the reef. Swimmers would have a similarly sized area between the buoys and the beach.

Boating Safety Education Specialist Clifford Inn said DLNR hopes to install the buoys on a trial basis within the next two months.

The plan, for which most in the audience expressed support, is intended to minimize the danger of swimmers and paddleboarders colliding with each other.

DLNR representatives said that they and other offices have received numerous complaints over the last year as stand-up paddleboard use has rapidly increased.

More than 100 paddleboarders, swimmers and others who frequent the popular ocean-recreation area turned out today to air grievances and discuss ways to resolve escalating tensions in the crowded waters.