Snorkeling Top Cause of Tourist Drownings in Hawaii
Hawaii officials are working to raise awareness of the top cause of drowning for people visiting Hawaii: snorkeling.
Out of 650 ocean drownings from 2007 to 2016, the state Department of Health has recorded 169 as related to the common ocean activity, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported on Saturday. A total of 156 of those deaths were of tourists to the islands.
Motor vehicle crashes were the next highest cause of visitor deaths, with 85 recorded during the same period.
The numbers have prompted a state committee to explore ways to help prevent the deaths. Honolulu Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Services have teamed up with a major visitor television channel to air public service announcements on snorkeling safety in 25,000 hotel rooms on the island of Oahu.
On Oahu so far this year, 16 ocean drownings have occurred. Hanauma Bay, a popular snorkeling spot on Oahu that hosts about 1 million visitors each year, had 16 snorkeling-related drownings during the nine-year period.
Lifeguards rescue about four to five people every day at the bay, Ocean Safety Lt. Kawika Eckart said.
“More novice swimmers or people without any kind of ocean skills tend to go snorkeling because it’s looked on as a really safe activity,” Eckart said. “You’re not getting into the surf. You’ve got fins, a mask and snorkel on, so there’s a false sense of security.”
- Jury Awards $80M to 3 Former Zurich NA Employees for Wrongful Termination
- California Sees Two More Property Insurers Withdraw From Market
- California Chiropractor Sentenced to 54 Years for $150M Workers’ Comp Scheme
- Beyond the Claim: How Social Canvassing is Transforming Insurance Fraud Detection
- Poll: Consumers OK with AI in P/C Insurance, but Not So Much for Claims and Underwriting
- Property Restoration Industry: A Culture in Need of Repair?
- Report: Vehicle Complexity, Labor ‘Reshaping’ Auto Insurance and Collision Repair
- Mother of 8-Year-Old ‘Violently Sucked’ into Houston Hotel Pool Files Wrongful Death Suit