Encounters, Norms, and Crowding at Six Coastal and Marine Areas in Hawai'i

This article examined encounters, norms, and crowding of 1,422 individuals at six coastal and marine areas in hawai'i. Encounters and crowding differed among these sites with 38–55% of users feeling crowded. On average, however, users encountered fewer than half as many people (i.e., 63–192 per 500 × 200 yards) compared to their normative standard for the maximum use density they felt should be allowed at each site (i.e., 206–381 people per 500 × 200 yards). Only 11–21% of users encountered more people than their norm, and these individuals felt more crowded than those who encountered fewer than their norm. Crowding and encounters were important indicators at each site, and there was relatively high agreement regarding use densities that should and should not be allowed at each site. All three concepts (i.e., encounters, norms, crowding) should be measured when addressing social capacity issues.