Rash of drownings called 'unreasonably higher'
By Shayna Coleon
Advertiser Staff Writer
Four deaths in the past two days are contributing to an "unreasonably higher" number of drownings in Hawai'i this summer, water safety officials say.
Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser
At the mouth of Hanauma Bay near Witch's Brew, a man and his brother-in-law, both 35, lost their lives late yesterday morning in rough waters that had been closed off and posted as dangerous.
Rescue workers carry one of two men who were found unconscious at Hanauma Bay. Both men, from Chicago, later died at the hospital yesterday. They were in an area that was restricted because of dangerous conditions.
Later in the day, an 81-year-old woman was found dead in her apartment complex swimming pool in Makiki.
Thursday afternoon, a 23-month-old Big Island boy drowned in a swimming pool. There have been at least 13 reported drownings in Hawai'i since June.
"It's been unreasonably higher than usual," said Capt. Kendall Rust of the city's Ocean Safety Division.
"People have to be aware, and not only of the signs and conditions, but more of their ability or lack thereof," said Rust, who has worked in the Ocean Safety Division for 25 years.
The two men who died at Hanauma Bay were visitors from Chicago. They were swimming in an area past the reef near Witch's Brew and halfway out to the mouth of the bay toward Koko Head, said Capt. Richard Soo, spokesman for the Honolulu Fire Department.
A gate closing off the ledge area near Witch's Brew had been in place for a number of days because of dangerous conditions, and warning signs were also posted this week because of rough waters, Rust said.
Lifeguards were at their station when they saw one of the men in the closed area. When they attempted to get him to leave the area around 11:49 a.m., he was found face-down in the water, safety officials said.
He was not breathing and taken to Straub Hospital where he died, Soo said.
About an hour later, at 12:53 p.m., the victim's wife told rescue workers that her brother had been with her husband in the water.
Rescue crews went back out and found him unconscious. He was taken to The Queen's Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Rust said ocean conditions at the time were calm enough for the two men to swim far out into the water.
"In our experience, it's not the days with the bigger surf that you have to watch out for," Rust said. "It's the days where it's smaller. ... In the summertime, small, nice, gentle, rolling surf makes it easier for more people to get out there."
People continue to ignore posted warning signs at beaches, Rust said.
"The beach is literally littered with signs, and people walk right past them," he said. "They don't look at them, but they hang their shirts on them, they hang their towels."
Many visitors to Hawai'i underestimate the power of the ocean, he said.
"I think most people just don't think the ocean can do that," Rust said. "But, the ocean is not an amusement park; you can't just turn it on when you want. It demands your respect."
On July 1, an 18-year-old California man was killed when he did not heed signs prohibiting entrance to the Halona Blowhole.
He stood above the natural water spout and it lifted him 3 feet to 5 feet in the air, flipped him upside-down and dropped him head-first into the rocky crevice.
While most drownings have occurred in the ocean, rescue workers also advise caution around swimming pools.
The 81-year-old woman was found dead yesterday at the Makiki Royale, 310 Heulu St., Soo said. A neighbor noticed she was floating face-down in the pool of the apartment complex.
On the Big Island, Kona police said 23-month-old Keelan Kalani Ken Tomita of Kona Palisades was found in a swimming pool by a family member Thursday afternoon. The toddler had been reported missing earlier, police said. He was taken to Kona Community Hospital and pronounced dead at 3:17 p.m.
