KAILUA-KONA — Hawaii is on track to have as many or more drownings than last year, according to state and newspaper records.
Last year, there were nine drownings around the Big Island, said Bridget Velasco, drowning and spinal cord injury prevention coordinator with the Department of Health.
The state does not receive official numbers on drownings until the first quarter of the following year, but a West Hawaii Today count of reported apparent drownings shows eight, with the most recent on Nov. 27 when a man got into trouble in Keauhou Bay waters. Another man went to help and also became distressed in the water. Both were rescued by bystanders, but the first man, Gregory Crisafi, 58, of Kailua-Kona, died in the hospital.
Velasco said there appears to be no consistent theme to what action leads to drowning, or if residents or tourists are more likely to drown. One of the best precautions a watergoer can make, she added, is to swim near lifeguards.
“Whether a visitor or resident, the No. 1 recommendation to reduce the risk of ocean drowning is to swim near a lifeguard. Lifeguards are professionally trained first responders; that can mean the difference between a non-fatal and a fatal drowning,” she said.
A state survey of drownings from 2005 to 2014 showed that, of the 104 people who have drowned in Big Island waters, 56 percent have been residents. The three deadliest activities have been swimming with 20 deaths, followed by diving with 19 and unintentional submersion with 18.
“In addition to saving a person’s life, a lifeguard can reduce the severity of injury and insult to the body by decreasing the amount of time the person is immersed in water, and by providing quick and efficient resuscitation,” Velasco wrote in an email, adding that lifeguards also prevent drownings, which keeps the number of fatalities as low as they are. “Estimates are that for every rescue a lifeguard makes, he or she has performed hundreds of preventative actions that may have otherwise resulted in tragedy.”
That is one of the major pieces of advice from the Visitor’s Aloha Society of Hawaii’s video clips, brochures and advice, said executive director Karen Rose.
“You’re in paradise, you don’t really think that something bad will happen,” she said.
She said her group helps visitors who have trouble in the water two to three times a month. Commonly this is because people don’t realize how dangerous the ocean can be. They may be used to pools or lakes, she said, but the ocean has all sorts of potential risks, many invisible from the shore such as sharp coral, slippery rocks, undertows, shorebreaks and other hazards.
The best plan is to look at what other people are doing and speak with the lifeguards, she said.
The island has 50 lifeguards, with 26 in the east division and 24 in the west.
The east’s eight towers are concentrated in the Hilo district, with five towers.
There are seven towers in the west district, including two at Kahaluu Beach Park.
Rescues on the Big Island are handled by the Hawaii Fire Department, and Battalion Chief Gerald Kosaki is in charge of such operations.
Kosaki said there are many areas that emergency responders go to consistently. One is Boiling Pots in the Wailuku River, where they are called at least once a year. Even when the water appears still and safe, it’s still powerful enough to drag people downriver, he said.
Most of the locations are along the coasts, particularly the popular unstaffed beaches like Kua Bay.
He said people have gotten in trouble at “any beach that has surf, including Hapuna, especially when the surf is a little bigger.”
Often times their trouble comes as a result of overestimating their own skill against the ocean.
One of the most important parts of a safe time in the ocean is going with a partner, said Battalion Capt. John Baehr. He said it seems people “just want to push that envelope” with going out alone. But that makes things more dangerous, as then there is no one there to call for help or assist.
“Just going surfing alone is super dangerous and you have a flotation device,” the longtime surfer said.
For someone trying to help a distressed swimmer, the best thing is to contact emergency services first, he said.
He said it goes against human nature not to rush out there and help, but an unskilled rescuer can make things worse. There have been multiple situations, he said, where a rescue attempt has gone from having one person in distress to two. The best idea is to get a flotation device out to them if possible.
He said many people his crews have helped were in the “unintentional submersion” category. These people had no intent to go into the water.
People think “I would never fall in the water,” he said, as they go shoreline fishing or opihi collecting. But a sudden wave can come up and drag them out to sea.
In that instance, it’s best to get rid of any weight, including the opihi bag, to make sure the swimmer can survive, he said.
The person should scan the coast and look for a safe way in. If none exists, it’s best to get into the open ocean, he said, or wait.
“Wait for the helicopter,” he said. The HFD has a helicopter on each side of the island, along with a rescue diver.
He suggests people engaged in shoreline activities wear a personal flotation device to guard against drowning in case of being swept out to sea.
Velasco mentioned the Hawaii Beach Safety website as a resource to know what the conditions are at the beaches with lifeguards. It lists surf, temperature and any warnings for those beaches.
It started as a way to direct visitors to the manned beaches on the island, as only those are listed. But it’s expanded, she said, now including surf, temperature and any warnings or alerts at the beaches.
Ultimately, enjoying the ocean comes down to the individual actions of the resident or visitor.
“Sometimes the best ocean drowning prevention strategy is the simplest: stay out of the water when skill and conditions don’t match up,” Velasco wrote.
