Editorial: Don’t risk life for selfie

The things that people will do to get the perfect photo — which, unfortunately, has included dying. Not in Hawaii, as far as we know — but recent incidents of tourists elsewhere taking one step too many and falling off cliffs are simply tragic.

Such unexpected, and avoidable, accidents came to mind this week, hearing about the Arizona man who got lost atop Mauna Kea after venturing past the last array of telescopes to capture the scenic view. He went beyond posted warning signs, then fractured his femur after stepping onto unstable terrain. Luckily he did have a cell phone to alert his wife, who called 911 — launching a dramatic 7-1/2-hour night rescue amid 30-degree temperatures, at a thin-air elevation of 13,000 feet.

Nature’s wonders have long been photographic magnets, but the selfie phenomenon in particular adds to the risks. Two such fatal incidents, for example, occurred at Yosemite National Park in September then October, and in January at Ireland’s Cliffs of Moher. A 2018 study in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care even quantified 259 verifiable selfie-related deaths in 137 incidents from October 2011 to November 2017.

When it comes to Hawaii’s natural sites, even a simple short hike can quickly turn into disorientation. The Arizona tourist atop Mauna Kea, like many others who land in trouble in extreme terrain, was very lucky to have had tenacious rescuers.

As hikers and swimmers are often warned, our scenic locales can also be very dangerous. When venturing out, be prepared, know your limits, and if on land, take a cell phone. Such good advice applies, evidently, even to the seemingly innocuous pursuit of the perfect photo.