Posted on: Friday, January 17, 2003

Safety at Hanauma can't be overstressed

Perhaps it's just a fluke — a statistical spike so unlikely it'll never happen again. Twelve people, all of them tourists, drowned last year at Hanauma Bay, O'ahu's snorkling mecca.

After all, in any of the years 1995 through 2001, no more than three people drowned. Two drowned in 2001, none in 2000.

What changed in 2002? While there's been a major change on land at Hanauma — with the opening of the Marine Education Center and other improvements, which cost the city $16.2 million — the tranquil, generally shallow waters and the reef offer the same benign attraction.

It might be worthwhile to compare statistics with other popular swimming attractions worldwide. With 3,200 visitors daily at Hanauma, is 12 drownings in a year better or worse than, say, the French Riviera or Australia's Great Barrier Reef?

Ultimately, however, comparisons don't matter. One death at a tourist attraction is too many.

We're not suggesting for an instant that it's more important to protect tourists than residents. But the highly concentrated crowds in the water at Hanauma, residents and tourists alike, dictate truly serious safety considerations.

Informational films and training by snorkling gear rental companies are good ideas. More directly, we'd suggest adding lifeguards, putting some of them on duty paddling surfboards among the snorklers.

Cost is not a driving factor here: Hanauma takes in generous amounts of money from admissions, parking and concessions. That money by rights and by law should go back into the Hanauma operation, and not be spun off to other parts of the city budget.