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Why There Are No Interisland Ferries In Hawaii
It really seems like there should be or would be
When you look at a map of the Hawaiian Islands, it looks like a place that would be ripe for a robust ferry network. It sounds extremely convenient to be able to hop onto a ferry in Honolulu and sail to Maui, especially if you could take your car or bike. Or how about a quick jaunt from Maui to the Big Island? Instead, you have to fly between the Hawaiian islands. There are no ferries in Hawaii that will take people from place to place. Why is that?
Other Pacific nations, such as Japan and the Philippines, have robust ferry networks with dozens of routes connecting hundreds of islands. Yet, Hawaii, a part of the most advanced nation in the world, and consisting of just a handful of islands, has no regular ferry services. Why not?
There are two main obstacles to the creation of a Hawaiian ferry service. One is natural and one is unnatural.
The natural obstacle is the geography of Hawaii. When looking at a map, the islands look relatively close together, but they are actually much further apart than many realize. The distance between Oahu and the Big Island, for example, is 185 miles. That is a hefty distance and would require a trip lasting roughly six hours. That would make day trips infeasible, if not…
