State launches new ocean safety website

The state Health Department has launched an informational website as part of an effort to prevent drownings.

The website — hioceansafety.com — aims to decrease drowning risk factors as well as encourage beachgoers to take preventive steps, such as choosing beaches with lifeguards. It offers a comprehensive, “one-stop shop” on ocean hazards, beach warning signs, snorkeling safety tips, surf seasons, a section on beach safety for families, and links to real-time information on ocean conditions at beaches with lifeguards.

It also offers data and statistics, including the “Top 10” beaches where spinal cord injuries have occurred in the state. Maui’s Makena Beach tops the list, followed by Hapuna Beach on Hawaii island.

Ocean drowning is the fourth-leading cause of injury-related death in Hawaii and is, by far, the leading cause for visitors, according to the state Health Department.

More than half — 55% — of ocean-drowning victims are visitors, who are 10 times more likely to drown than Hawaii residents. Snorkeling is most frequently associated with visitor drowning. Between 2008 and 2017, 183 drownings occurred during snorkeling, 147 while swimming and 50 while surfing/bodyboarding.

“Choosing beaches with lifeguards who can respond quickly to those in the ocean is a matter of life and death,” said Ralph Goto, co-chairman of the Hawaii Drowning and Aquatic Injury Prevention Advisory Committee, in a news release. “The sooner a person in distress in the ocean can get help, the better their chance of survival.”

The website offers “six things you need to know” when heading to the beach in Hawaii. It also offers a list of beaches, including some that have become popular tourist destinations in recent years, with the highest frequency of spinal cord injuries.

“People who visit Hawaii may not realize that even small waves at our beaches can be strong enough to cause serious injury and even death,” said Gerald Kosaki, another committee co-chairman. “Knowing what beaches to avoid and how to react when a wave is breaking on shore is critical.”

The Hawaii Drowning and Aquatic Injury Prevention Advisory Committee, established in 2015, brings ocean safety professionals, visitor industry authorities, nonprofit child swimming organizations, the U.S. Coast Guard and other partners together.

BY THE NUMBERS (FROM 2008 TO 2017)

>> There were 682 ocean drownings.

>> By island, Oahu had the most, with 305, followed by Maui County with 178, Hawaii island with 105 and Kauai with 76.