Bobbing boozers have city crafting response

The July Fourth Waikiki “floatilla” attracted a crowd of about 9,000 partyers, led to at least 30 alcohol-related injuries and cost the city and state more than $12,000 to police, so it’s little wonder officials want to halt alcohol use at future floatillas.

The Honolulu City Council’s Public Health, Safety and Welfare Committee will hear a resolution today aimed at urging the state to adopt rules prohibiting alcohol use and disorderly behavior at Waikiki floatilla events.

This year’s event, which was spread largely by word of mouth and social media, attracted thousands to Waikiki waters in various types of watercraft from motorized boats to water toys. The event, which didn’t have an established organizer, led to emergency personnel treating 20 people at the scene and transporting another 10, including minors, to the emergency room for serious and critical injuries all related to alcohol.

Resolution 17-189, which will be heard at 9 a.m. today at Honolulu Hale, is the city’s way of encouraging the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, which is overseen by the Board of Land and Natural Resources, to use its rule-making powers to rein in the Waikiki floatilla. The resolution would call on DLNR to come up with a solution similar to the one it enacted in 2015 that banned alcohol possession and use as well as disorderly behavior at the Kaneohe Bay sandbar on designated holiday weekends.

The resolution is “largely symbolic,” as the city wants the state to take the lead on curbing the impacts of the Waikiki floatilla, city spokesman Andrew Pereira said.

Officials with the city Emergency Services Department, including Director Jim Howe, will be meeting with federal, state and municipal law enforcement partners Aug. 24 to determine an interagency floatilla response, Pereira said. The Emergency Services Department also has reached out to DLNR’s Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement, Pereira said.

DOCARE spent roughly $7,500 partnering with the Coast Guard, the city Ocean Safety Division and the Honolulu Police Department to provide public safety coverage during the July Fourth Waikiki floatilla, said DLNR spokeswoman Deborah Ward.

“DOCARE had 14 officers on holiday pay with extended hours. They had operational costs for seven jet skis and one patrol boat,” Ward said.

Pereira said the event cost HPD $500 to bring in two more officers. It cost the city’s Ocean Safety Division $4,443 to bring in three additional rescue watercraft crews and pay dispatchers overtime.

“There were a total of 10 lifeguards on watercraft; four dispatchers; two supervisors; and approximately 15 lifeguards covering Waikiki. For EMS, they had five units responding, but some of these units made multiple trips,” he said.

The Coast Guard sent 25 people, including personnel who were standing watch and those assigned to various boats, said Coast Guard spokeswoman Petty Officer 3rd Class Amanda Levasseur. A 45-foot response boat from Coast Guard Station Honolulu and four 25-foot response boats from Maritime Safety and Security Team Honolulu responded, Levasseur said.

Ward said DLNR is seeking an integrated, interagency solution. DLNR and DOCARE are considering implementing rules similar to ones that have been utilized in San Diego to manage large-scale ocean events, she said.

“Current laws do not ban these types of activities. Enforcement of underage drinking laws in the water is difficult, as participants typically do not have proof of age on them,” Ward said. “DLNR/DOCARE and all of the public safety and enforcement partners share the concerns being expressed about public safety and potential damage to aquatic resources.”