Nov 13, 2023 05:57 PM
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2023/11/09...raw-crowd/
PRESS RELEASE: When driving past Kealia Pond in south central Maui, you can’t help but do a double take. For the last week and a half, the pond looks straight out of a sci-fi film.
The water has taken on a glowing pink and purple hue. Travis Morrin got a heads up about it from some friends.
“They had heard that the water near Sugar Beach by the ponds were pink and I was like, ‘I don’t believe it, it can’t be that pink,” said Morrin, a Maui business owner and photographer. “Sure enough toward sunset the lighting was good, iI just happened to drive by and I was like, it’s like Pepto Bismol pink.”
Morrin posted the watery wonder on Instagram — and got nearly 3,000 likes in just 12 hours.
“It just popped like crazy and at first I was like, I wonder what this is, I mean is it dangerous or something?” Morrin said. “But I have some friends who have assured me that it’s a natural phenomenon. It just never happens here on Maui.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service oversees the refuge and confirms the pink water has been at the site for the last nine days. The agency says the color change is caused by a type of halobacteria found in waters with high salinity. Kealia’s levels are twice the salinity of seawater.
It is not likely toxic and samples have been sent to the University of Hawaii for further testing.
It’s unclear how long it’ll last, but spectators are savoring the rare sight. “It is so beautiful it’s really, really cool,” said Wailuku resident DJ Burton. “It is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I’ve driven by here thousands of times and it’s the first time I’ve seen it pink.”
Pink pond on Maui fascinates visitors, drought likely the cause ... https://youtu.be/B5m9mqqFI98
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/B5m9mqqFI98
PRESS RELEASE: When driving past Kealia Pond in south central Maui, you can’t help but do a double take. For the last week and a half, the pond looks straight out of a sci-fi film.
The water has taken on a glowing pink and purple hue. Travis Morrin got a heads up about it from some friends.
“They had heard that the water near Sugar Beach by the ponds were pink and I was like, ‘I don’t believe it, it can’t be that pink,” said Morrin, a Maui business owner and photographer. “Sure enough toward sunset the lighting was good, iI just happened to drive by and I was like, it’s like Pepto Bismol pink.”
Morrin posted the watery wonder on Instagram — and got nearly 3,000 likes in just 12 hours.
“It just popped like crazy and at first I was like, I wonder what this is, I mean is it dangerous or something?” Morrin said. “But I have some friends who have assured me that it’s a natural phenomenon. It just never happens here on Maui.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service oversees the refuge and confirms the pink water has been at the site for the last nine days. The agency says the color change is caused by a type of halobacteria found in waters with high salinity. Kealia’s levels are twice the salinity of seawater.
It is not likely toxic and samples have been sent to the University of Hawaii for further testing.
It’s unclear how long it’ll last, but spectators are savoring the rare sight. “It is so beautiful it’s really, really cool,” said Wailuku resident DJ Burton. “It is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I’ve driven by here thousands of times and it’s the first time I’ve seen it pink.”
Pink pond on Maui fascinates visitors, drought likely the cause ... https://youtu.be/B5m9mqqFI98
