HONOLULU (Island News) -- A reef off Kewalo Basin remains scarred after a 75-foot tour boat ran aground earlier this month, and community members are calling for accountability and change to prevent it from happening again.

The boat ran into the reef during a high surf advisory, coming dangerously close to swimmers. Community advocates say the company should have canceled operations that day.

“They’re a private company, but they are using a public resource, the ocean, a surf spot — and they should consider that,” said Ronald Iwami, president of Friends of Kewalos. “They could have put people’s lives in danger.”

The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) said vessel operators need to take advisories seriously.

“So when those hazards pop up, really people [need to] take that to

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