Hilo Bay
Encyclopedia
Hilo Bay is a large bay
Bay
A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...

 located on the eastern coast of the island of Hawaii
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...

.

Description

The modern town of Hilo, Hawaii overlooks Hilo Bay, located at 19°44′10"N 155°4′37"W.
North of the bay runs the Hamakua Coast on the slopes of Mauna Kea
Mauna Kea
Mauna Kea is a volcano on the island of Hawaii. Standing above sea level, its peak is the highest point in the state of Hawaii. However, much of the mountain is under water; when measured from its oceanic base, Mauna Kea is over tall—significantly taller than Mount Everest...

, and south of the bay is the Puna district
Puna, Hawaii
Puna is one of the nine districts in Hawaii County, Big Island, Hawaii. The District of Puna is located on the easternmost portion of the island and shares borders to the north with the District of South Hilo and a border to the west with the District of Kaū...

 on the slopes of Mauna Loa
Mauna Loa
Mauna Loa is one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean, and the largest on Earth in terms of volume and area covered. It is an active shield volcano, with a volume estimated at approximately , although its peak is about lower than that...

.
The area just inland from the bay is the Hilo district, divided into north and south Hilo within the County of Hawaii
Hawaii County, Hawaii
Hawaii County is a county located in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Hawaiian Islands. It is coterminous with the Island of Hawaii, often called the "Big Island" to distinguish it from the state as a whole. As of the 2010 Census the population was 185,079. The county seat is Hilo. There are no...

.
Banyan Drive
Banyan Drive
Banyan Drive is a tree-lined street at the shoreline of Hilo, Hawaii, coordinates . It is known as the "Hilo Walk of Fame" for the banyan trees planted by celebrities....

 runs through Liliʻuokalani Gardens near downtown Hilo at the edge of the bay.

History

The ancient Hawaii
Ancient Hawaii
Ancient Hawaii refers to the period of Hawaiian human history preceding the unification of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great in 1810. After being first settled by Polynesian long-distance navigators sometime between AD 300–800, a unique culture developed. Diversified agroforestry and...

an name for the village on the bay was Waiakea
Waiakea
Waiākea is an ancient subdivision in the Hilo District of the Big Island of Hawaii, located in the area of .-Origin:The name comes from wai ākea in the Hawaiian Language meaning "broad waters", and sometimes what is now called Hilo Bay was called Waiākea Bay.Waiākea is home to many and has its own...

.
After being surveyed in 1825 by Charles Robert Malden
Charles Robert Malden
Charles Robert Malden , was a nineteenth century British naval officer, surveyor and educator. Discoverer of Malden Island in the central Pacific, which is named in his honour. Founder of the Windlesham House School at Brighton, England.Malden was born in Putney, Surrey, son of Jonas Malden, a...

 of the , it was called Byron's Bay for captain George Byron, 7th Baron Byron. The coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...

 on the eastern side of the bay is called Blonde Reef for the ship.
The first breakwater
Breakwater (structure)
Breakwaters are structures constructed on coasts as part of coastal defence or to protect an anchorage from the effects of weather and longshore drift.-Purposes of breakwaters:...

 across the bay was first started in 1908 under contract to Engineer Delbert Metzger.
It was extended in 1911, and completed in 1929.
The small island Moku Ola
Coconut Island (Hawaii Island)
Coconut Island, or Moku Ola is a small island in Hilo Bay, just offshore from Liliʻuokalani Gardens, in Hilo, off the island of Hawaiʻi in the state of Hawaii, USA. It is a small park, and is connected to the main island via a footbridge...

 (now called Coconut Island) was the site of an ancient temple dedicated to healing.

Tsunamis

Hilo Bay is sometimes called "the tsunami capital of the United States".
The bay's topography steers tsunamis to Hilo from earthquakes in active areas such as Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

 the Aleutian Islands.
The April 1, 1946 tsunami from the 1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake killed 96 people on Hilo bay.
May 20, 1960, a tsunami originating from the 1960 Valdivia earthquake in Chile killed 61 people in Hilo.
After the February 27, 2010 Chile earthquake
2010 Chile earthquake
The 2010 Chile earthquake occurred off the coast of central Chile on Saturday, 27 February 2010, at 03:34 local time , having a magnitude of 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale, with intense shaking lasting for about three minutes. It ranks as the sixth largest earthquake ever to be recorded by a...

, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center
Pacific Tsunami Warning Center
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center is one of two tsunami warning centers that are operated by NOAA in the United States. Headquartered in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, the PTWC is part of an international tsunami warning system program and serves as the operational center for TWS of the Pacific issuing...

 caused sirens to sound and evacuations were ordered, but there were no injuries.

See also

  • Byron Bay, New South Wales
    Byron Bay, New South Wales
    Byron Bay is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headland adjacent to the town, is the easternmost point of mainland Australia. At the 2006 Census, the town had a...

     named for John Byron
    John Byron
    Vice Admiral The Hon. John Byron, RN was a Royal Navy officer. He was known as Foul-weather Jack because of his frequent bad luck with weather.-Early career:...

    , who was grandfather of the Byron who arrived in Hilo in 1825.
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