Three men were injured in separate water-related incidents at Sandy Beach Park within 90 minutes Friday, the Department of Emergency Services said.
Ocean Safety officers think an influx of visitors, in town for Sunday’s Honolulu Marathon, may have left Waikiki beaches Friday due to the presence of box jellyfish, Emergency Services spokeswoman Shayne Enright said.
Some visitors may have found Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve closed for repairs, and headed farther east toward Sandy Beach, which is known among locals for its strong shore break and unpredictable currents, Enright said.
All three of the men hospitalized are from Germany, and at least one is registered to run in Sunday’s marathon, she said.
While there was not an unusually large number of beachgoers at Sandy Beach on Friday, there were five rescues and 250 warnings issued, Enright said.
One of the men injured ignored the warnings of lifeguards and went into the water shortly after he witnessed another man leave in an ambulance, she said.
"There are thousands of visitors in town for Sunday’s Honolulu Marathon, and we want all of them to go home safely and to be able to enjoy their vacations," Enright said. "We ask the public to listen to the lifeguards’ warnings and check with the lifeguard before entering the water."
Surf at Sandy Beach was about 6 to 8 feet.
The first man, in his mid-20s, was taken to the hospital in serious condition at about 12:20 p.m. after being injured while bodysurfing.
The second man, in his 60s, was hospitalized in serious condition after he was injured while swimming at about 1:10 p.m. Enright said he was able to walk out of the water under his own power but passed out briefly. Ocean Safety officials gave him some oxygen, and he regained consciousness.
Then at about 1:45 p.m. a man in his 60s apparently sustained neck and back injuries and was transported to the hospital in serious condition, officials said.
Farther west from Sandy Beach, at the China Wall surf spot at about 12:30 p.m., Ocean Safety personnel using a watercraft rescued two women in their 20s, officials said. They were brought ashore at Maunalua Bay and did not require hospitalization.
The department also responded to four reports of box jellyfish stings at Waikiki on Friday afternoon. A man in his mid-40s and a man in his late 40s were hospitalized in serious condition, officials said. Two other people, a man in his early 30s and a woman, 28, declined to be hospitalized.
