Dozens of boats from Keehi Marine Center still missing
Haleiwa small boat harbor and Keehi small boat harbor are the only areas on Oahu that had major damage from the tsunami.
And of those two .. Keehi had the biggest amount of damage ... and dozens of boats are still unaccounted for.
The coast guard finally opened up the entrance to Keehi around 3 o'clock this afternoon.. it had been closed since Thursday night.
Boaters, who could not dock their boats because their piers had broken off , were able to dock temporarily at the Ala Wai boat harbor and Kewalo basin.
"This boat sank as we watched it sink yesterday and they desperately with buckets and pumps to save it but it wasn't salvageable," says Russ Singer, boat owner.
One day after Hawaii was under a tsunami warning, damage to boats and piers could be easily seen.
"This sailboat is completely destroyed devastated mass tore off," says Singer.
Boat owner Russ Singer surveyed the damage to find piers once attached to docks now floating in the middle of the ocean.
"This is a trimirand that apparently rode up on the dock as the dock was coming apart and broke free," says Singer.
State officials say Keehi marine center was the hardest hit.
"There was between 40-60 boats that were still attached to the main dock 13 that came through plowed through our 1000 pier, our 900 pier, our 800 pier and our 700 pier," says Meghan Statts, Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation.
Officials say they've had a difficult time figuring out how many boats were left docked and how many went out to sea.
"We are trying to make sure we are able to identify where the boats are that are sunk mark them," says Statts.
"There somewhere about 68 that are unaccounted for," says Statts.
Up until 3 o'clock this afternoon, a handful of boaters were still out at sea, because they could not come in to Keehi lagoon.
"There are a number of grounded vessels that are actually out there there are a number of sunken vessel within the lagoon itself," says Statts.
The Coast Guard is also monitoring the situation.
Officials say it's up to the boat owner to pay for salvage costs.
"Right now we're monitoring several vessel salvages the Coast Guard ...insurance company," says U.S. Coast Guard Commander Jason Neubauer.
"Absolutely devastating to be out on the boat to see that number of boats that are grounded, boats that are sunk, damaged," says Statts.
Next week, state officials will assess damages to the harbors on the neighbor islands.
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