State examines most dangerous beaches
| • | Chart: Rescues of beachgoers |
By Walter Wright
Advertiser Staff Writer
The number of drownings at Hanauma Bay took a huge leap last year, with 10 deaths, more than the nine Hanauma drownings in the preceding decade.
Honolulu Ocean Safety chief Ralph S. Goto says many swimmers who get into trouble at Hanauma are older tourists, many of them snorkelers who accidentally take in water through the breathing tube on their masks, choke and drown in shallow water.
One reason the bay can be deadly, Goto says, is because it appears so benign, like a swimming pool with a sandy bottom.
But statistics released yesterday at the state's annual drowning prevention and ocean safety conference show that other beaches on O'ahu are far more dangerous, when you consider the number of rescues in relation to the number of people in the water.
Bright blue Makapu'u is the most dangerous, with 91 rescues per year for every 100,000 swimmers and surfers who brave its big waves.
Sandy Beach, known to residents for its harsh shore break, is next, and Hawai'i's most celebrated surf spot, Waimea, is in third place.
That Hanauma had by far the largest number of drownings last year appears to be an aberration, said Dan Galanis, epidemiologist with the state Department of Health injury prevention and control program. There were 28 drownings on O'ahu. Seventeen of those were at or near the 19 beaches with lifeguards, and 10 of those were at Hanauma.
And, he said, when you consider that there are an average of 3,000 people in Hanauma Bay every day, it ranks fifth for rescues per capita, Galanis said.
Kailua, often ranked as the world's "best beach," is also O'ahu's safest, just edging out the crowded and world famous shore at Waikiki.
Galanis' analysis of Honolulu County lifeguard data from 1998 through 2002 show that the number of people swimming, surfing or just playing in the water on O'ahu is trending upward, with a peak of 6 million in 2001 moderating a bit last year. At the same time, the number of lifeguards has changed little.
Except for the surge in Hanauma Bay drownings, the trend of drownings on O'ahu during the five-year period is "stable," Galanis told the conference.
Remedies for Hanauma are being put in place: six lifeguards on duty instead of five; a supervisor headquartered there instead of at a Koko Head office; and a 90-second safety segment to be added to the mandatory video for new visitors.
Reducing risks at other locations may be tougher, Galanis said.
Almost all being rescued at Hanauma are visitors, but visitors also make up about two-thirds of those rescued at Sandy and Makapu'u.
"There's a theory that if visitors can't get into Hanauma Bay, the next beach they reach as they continue around the island is Sandy, and Makapu'u is next after that," he said.
Visitors also make up more than half of those rescued at Waimea.
Waimea has the highest proportion of military people being rescued, nearly one in 10 of all people rescued there. Galanis said it is partly because of its proximity to Schofield Barracks; lifeguards say its also a blend of youthful bravado and inexperience among some young soldiers.
There has been talk of creating a beach hazard rating system, something like the skill or difficulty ratings applied to ski slopes, so that beachgoers have an idea of what they are getting into, Galanis said.
The best advice for all beachgoers, he said, is to check in with the lifeguards.
"Lifeguards generally recommend some pretty basic steps: the buddy system, knowing your personal limits and physical strength."
One piece of good news in the numbers, Galanis said, is that 96 percent of people rescued by Honolulu lifeguards are released at the scene.
In the past five years, 154 had to be given medical care by others.
But that doesn't necessarily mean the victims weren't in serious trouble, he said.
"I have heard lifeguards at Hanauma say it really is a matter of seconds, between life and death," Galanis said. "Drowning is like that; you generally make it, or you don't."
This is Walter Wright's final story for The Advertiser after nearly 27 years with the newspaper. After today, he can be reached at wrightw001@hawaii.rr.com.
