Mystery Object Removed From Ka`u Coast

The mysterious large, yellow object that washed up last October on the Ka`u coast has been cut up and hauled away.

Deborah Ward, spokeswoman for the Department of Land and Natural Resources, said a contractor completed the disposal of the object on Thursday.

Two companies bid on the contract, which was awarded to Ka`u Andrade Contracting for $28,500.

It is still not clear what the object was.

State officials surmise that this pass-through area in the object may have been used to secure vessels at sea. DLNR photo.

State officials said because it had a central opening, it may have been some type of marine buoy that could have been used to tie up vessels at sea.

“We had tried to identify it by contacting marine manufacturers but US companies were not familiar with this design,” Ward said.

Since it might be related to the March 2011 Japanese tsunami, a photo of the object was sent to the Japan Environmental Action Network. No response was received, she said.

Hawaii’s government isn’t the only one trying to solve the mystery.

A similar object washed up in British Columbia, Canada, as shown in this photo taken in July 2012. Photo courtesy of DLNR.

Ward said she learned that what appears to be an identical object washed ashore on a remote island in British Columbia, Canada.

She said the British Columbia government was waiting for good weather before attempting to remove the object.