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COURTESY DREW SOLMONSON
A visitor following drove a 2020 Ford Edge down the ramp at Honokohau Small Boat Harbor on Monday night. She told police GPS directions directed her down the ramp.
A tourist following GPS directions on Monday night drove her SUV down a ramp into the water at Honokohau Small Boat Harbor in Kailua-Kona.
The Hawaii County Police Department said it responded to the incident at about 8 p.m. Monday.
The woman had proceeded straight down the boat ramp in a blue 2020 Ford Edge into deep water, according to police.
Fortunately, the woman — the only one in the SUV — was able to get out safely without injuries, police said. She relayed to police that she was using a GPS that led her to take this route.
The vehicle has since been removed from the water, police said.
Drew Solmonson captured the moment on Instagram, saying that it happened after he had returned to the harbor following a fishing trip.
In the video, good Samaritans can be heard urging the driver to hurry and get out of the car before it took on water, and then to swim with the help of a float thrown her way.
This is the second time tourists have followed navigation directions down the boat ramp into the water.
According to various media reports, another woman and a female passenger drove their SUV down the same boat ramp into the ocean at the boat harbor a few weeks ago on their way to a manta ray excursion.
The moment was also captured on video, and good Samaritans can be seen diving in and assisting the driver out of the water before it sunk.
Police did not have details on the rental car companies or GPS systems used in both cases.
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