361 need rescuing in Roughwater Swim

By Zenaida Serrano Espanol and Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writers

Rescuers scrambled to pull 361 swimmers from treacherous waters yesterday during the 34th annual Waikiki Roughwater Swim.

The Fire Department's Air One helicopter delivers a rescued swimmer to Sans Souci Beach shortly after the start of the annual Roughwater Swim. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

Last night at 10, the Coast Guard said one swimmer was unaccounted for. Officials said that if the person was still missing by morning, a search would be conducted. No serious injuries were reported.

"This is the strongest current we've had in 34 years," said Ted Sheppard, the Waikiki Roughwater Swim committee president. "It was totally unexpected."

The National Weather Service said it did not know if there was a correlation between Tropical Storm Jimena and the strength of the current off Waikiki. Sheppard said organizers surveyed the water and weather conditions beforehand but did not feel the need to cancel the competition.

Russell Fujita, 51, of Kaimuki, was among those rescued. Fujita has participated in the competition for 15 years.

"This was the worst ever," Fujita said after being airlifted from the water by the Fire Department's Air One helicopter. He and another swimmer were brought to Sans Souci Beach, the starting point of the swim

Fujita was two hours into the swim when a lifeguard on a surfboard asked if he was all right.

"I said, 'How far until the turn?' He said, 'You're at the first buoy.' I said, 'Forget it. Take me out,' " Fujita said.

Sen. Fred Hemmings, R-25th (Kailua-Waimanalo-Portlock), who grew up surfing in the Waikiki area, said the swim began at an ill-advised time — 9 a.m., when the tide was changing.

Yoshimi Sato and Yuko Watanabe, left, and Momoko Hayatso and Laura Colette comfort each other after many swimmers had to be rescued from strong currents during the Roughwater Swim. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

Before the race, organizers used a public address system to warn swimmers of strong currents and wind conditions, and urged weaker swimmers to reconsider entering the competition. After the warning, "less than a handful" of swimmers pulled out, Sheppard said.

"Everybody else chanced it, and we all discovered that the current was much stronger than we had anticipated," Sheppard said.

City lifeguards made more than 200 rescues, the Coast Guard added 93 and the Fire Department made 68, according to those agencies. The Honolulu Police Department and Emergency Medical Services, as well as Good Samaritans, also responded to the rescue calls that began about two hours after the 9 a.m. start of the race.

"It was the strong wind and the current," HFD Capt. Kenison Tejada said. "The water looked much calmer than it really was."

Of 947 swimmers, 590 did not finish the swim, marking a record for the highest number of nonfinishers for the event, Sheppard said. In the 1984 Roughwater Swim, about 300 people were pulled from the water and about 700 swimmers finished, Sheppard said.

Yesterday, after two hours and with less than half the field in, race officials stopped the event and ordered the course swept of remaining swimmers for safety reasons.

Swimmers at Sans Souci Beach took to the water in groups for the annual Roughwater Swim. Strong currents forced 590 of 947 starting swimmers to drop out of the race, with 361 having to be rescued. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

John Erickson, a volunteer lifeguard with the event, said the swimmers were in a dangerous situation.

"I'm a fairly strong kayaker and I couldn't even paddle back in, so I could imagine what it's like for the swimmers," Erickson said. "I hope everyone's accounted for."

"I have a son out there that I have to find," said Candace Strong, who swam back to shore more than an hour into the race. "He's faster than me, so he probably got farther than me."

This was the third Roughwater Swim for Strong, a 48-year-old Honolulu resident.

First-time Roughwater swimmer Damon Iaea, 23, of Waipahu, was also rescued by Air One and brought back to Sans Souci Beach.

"When I train, I would finish this maybe in about an hour and 15 (minutes), maybe an hour-20," Iaea said.

But after nearly two hours into the competition, Iaea said he realized something was wrong when he felt like he wasn't moving any farther.

"I really wanted to finish it," Iaea said. "I'm OK. I guess just my ego is broken."

Reach Zenaida Serrano Espanol at zespanol@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8174. Reach Brandon Masuoka at bmasuoka@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2458.