Weather, increased enforcement may have sunk ‘Floatilla’

The Fourth of July “Floatilla” off Waikiki that caused major headaches for ocean safety officials in recent years failed to materialize Thursday.

It’s not known whether the revelers were discouraged by high surf, which was projected to be 4 to 7 feet on Oahu’s southern shores, strong wind, rain or increased enforcement.

Just two years ago hundreds of Floatilla participants required assistance getting to shore and were blamed for littering the waters and sands of Hawaii’s most popular beach. Last year attendance at the annual July Fourth event fell dramatically, and this year Floatilla might not have happened at all.

On Thursday afternoon only two large plastic floaties were seen in the distance off Waikiki, and they appeared to be struggling to stay upright because of the surf.

The celebration usually draws mostly young people who jump onto plastic floaties, stand-up paddleboards, kayaks, outrigger canoes and other vessels to drink and party while bobbing in deeper waters while the Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association’s Walter J. MacFarlane Regatta fills up the beach and occupies nearshore waters with racing lanes.

This year the U.S. Coast Guard, state Department of Health, Honolulu Police Department and Honolulu Liquor Commission were among the groups discouraging alcohol consumption, underage drinking and other irresponsible and illegal behavior in the ocean.

“At this time no reports of a flotilla in Waikiki,” said Shayne Enright, spokeswoman for the city Emergency Services Department, in an email sent around 4:40 p.m.

On past Fourth of July holidays, some swimmers at Oahu beaches required medical assistance and even hospitalization, although that wasn’t the case this year. Enright said the beaches were “very crowded, but very fortunately (there are) no major emergencies to report.”

In anticipation of a busy day, the department’s lifeguards worked an hour later than normal, until 6:30 p.m. on Oahu’s South Shore and until 7:30 p.m. at Sandy Beach.

At the latter spot, lifeguards rescued nine swimmers Thursday while keeping another 1,650 safe through preventive actions, Enright reported.

A 28-year-old bodysurfer suffered a shoulder and ear injury around 9:30 a.m. when a wave tossed him onto the sand. He was treated on the scene by Honolulu Ocean Safety officers and an EMS crew and was transported in serious condition to an emergency room, she said.

Four swimmer rescues and 1,520 preventive actions were performed at Waikiki. No rescues were reported at Ala Moana Beach, but 1,116 preventive actions were taken, she said.

Enright said fewer than 100 people on assorted watercraft along the South Shore required assistance getting to dry land, and fewer than 500 preventive actions were taken on their behalf.

On the west side, Honolulu Ocean Safety and EMS personnel treated a 45-year-old man for an allergic reaction to a jellyfish sting. The man drove himself to Makaha Beach Park for treatment by lifeguards at about 10 a.m. and was transported in serious condition to an emergency room.