More than 400 people were rescued Wednesday during the annual Independence Day “floatilla” off Waikiki, but no one required medical treatment, according to a city emergency services spokeswoman.
A year ago more than 20 people — many of them drunk and in their teens or 20s — needed medical treatment, including 10 who were seriously injured and transported to hospitals. Hundreds of revelers off Waikiki had to be brought to shore.
Honolulu Emergency Services Department spokeswoman Shayne Enright said this year’s event was quieter. As of about 6:30 p.m., 450 people needed assistance getting to shore, but none required emergency medical services, Enright said.
There also were no reports of arrests.
Authorities attributed the “tame” celebration partly to a large presence of personnel from various agencies, including the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Honolulu Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Services Division.
The crowd was estimated to be about 500 to 600 people, likely half as many as in 2016 and 2017, according to the DLNR.
Longliner runs aground near airport
The Coast Guard is investigating why an 83-foot Honolulu- based longline fishing boat ran aground about 150 yards from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport just after midnight Wednesday.
The Sea Goddess had six people aboard; none were reported injured. The boat’s owner hired Cates Marine Service to refloat it by 9:30 a.m. and have it towed into the Port of Honolulu for inspection, the Coast Guard said.
There were no reports that pollution was released but the incident was reported to the state Department of Health’s Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response Office and the Department of Land and Natural Resources for a pollution and environmental assessment, the Coast Guard said.
At the time of the incident, the Coast Guard said there were clear skies, 4-foot seas and 15 mph winds.
