Another problem was the time frame. Because the funds for the improvement had been allocated before the plans were drawn up, they were set to run out by the end of the year. Since the mayor did not want to go back to the City Council and ask for a new appropriation, he chose instead to try to push through a plan within the fiscal time frame. Finally, there was the much larger issue of loss of a facility to the tourist industry. Hanauma Bay was a popular recreation area for residents.
Many residents remember camping and fishing there in their youth.
By the late 1980's most residents viewed the Bay as too crowded and began avoiding the area. The proposed improvements were viewed as benefiting the tourist industry not residents. The Sea Grant College Program which often attempts to mediate marine and coastal dispute was not able to play a positive role in this controversy. Since Sea Grant was managing the education program under contract to the City and County they were viewed as a biased party. In the final analysis, the community got a lot of what it wanted, a scaled down version of the improvements and the mayor got some of what he wanted a showcase facility in one of the most visible areas of Hawai'i.