City must make safety a priority at Hanauma Bay

Recent deaths at Hanauma Bay highlight dangers faced by people entering the ocean.

The Friends of Hanauma Bay believe they occurred because the city has not created an environment that improves the safety of swimmers and snorkelers at the bay.

Many people come to Hanauma Bay entirely ignorant of the potential hazards of swimming and snorkeling in the ocean. Many have little knowledge or experience in the ocean. Some don’t know how to swim. Some possess only rudimentary swimming skills. Some have only been swimming in a pool. Some are physically unprepared or in poor health. Some overestimate their ability. And some are seduced by the often calm waters of the bay.

Every day, volunteers talk with people about potential hazards, but their words often go unheeded.

Volunteers at the beach desk regularly hear the same questions:

“I can’t swim; where should I go snorkeling?”

“I don’t know how to snorkel; where is the best place to snorkel?”

“Can you show me how to use this snorkel equipment?”

“Can I rent a life vest?” (Currently, they cannot.)

And volunteers often hear the same alarming statements:

“My tour guide told me I don’t need to know how to swim to snorkel.”

“My tour guide told me it’s OK to go outside the reef.” (It may not be.)

These “tour guides” are in reality glorified taxi drivers who have found a way to circumvent the city’s restriction on the number of tours entering the bay. Telling people they don’t need to swim in order to snorkel belies their ignorance and places visitors in imminent danger.

The orientation video has long been known to be inadequate. Since its inception more than a decade ago, the city has repeatedly reneged on its promise to upgrade it. Now, it is finally in the works, but no one can say when it will be finished.

Many people don’t know how to use their equipment but only those who rent from the snorkel concession can get instruction, if they request it. Otherwise, they are officially prohibited from receiving instruction at the bay.

Volunteers and lifeguards are not allowed to give instruction, a restriction the Friends agree with, but this leaves visitors who bring their own snorkel equipment unable to get any instruction at all.

Professional snorkel instruction should be available for visitors at the bay but the city cites liability concerns for not providing it. This protects the city’s coffers, but jeopardizes visitors’ safety. Adequate knowledge and preparation for ocean swimming and snorkeling should start before visitors arrive at the bay. The city should work with the Hawaii Visitors Bureau to inform and educate visitors of the risks of going in the ocean before they plan their activities.

Little has been done by the city to improve the safety of snorkelers at Hanauma Bay and then the lifeguards are blamed for the tragedy? This is wholly unfair.

Lifeguards at the bay have a very difficult job. At any moment throughout the day, hundreds of people are floating face down moving slowly, if at all. Keeping watch over all these people requires lifeguards to have keen powers of observation, to be alert 100 percent of the time and react quickly, if necessary.

Without the dedicated and professional lifeguards who watch over Hanauma Bay, more snorkelers surely would perish.

And more will, unless the city makes safety a priority at Hanauma Bay.

Bob Kern is vice president of The Friends of Hanauma Bay and a longtime volunteer with the Hanauma Bay Education Program.