MOLOA’A — The incidents surrounding the drowning in December of a New Jersey man at Larsen’s Beach struck too close to home for Steve Goldberg. It was the island’s 12th reported drowning of the year, and the victim had been
MOLOA’A — The incidents surrounding the drowning in December of a New Jersey
man at Larsen’s Beach struck too close to home for Steve Goldberg. It was the
island’s 12th reported drowning of the year, and the victim had been staying in
a vacation rental owned by Goldberg.
Larry Graffius, 45, of Bridgetown,
N.J., had set out to go snorkeling during the most dangerous time of the year
— winter. He never returned.
Firefighters who responded to a call for help
after beach-goers discovered the victim’s body along the shoreline found rough
waters, strong currents and windy conditions — along with the lifeless body of
Graffius.
Goldberg and his wife Licia McDonald were at the scene through
the trauma of assisting paramedics in getting to the body, shuttling emergency
fire and police crews to and from the beach, and even using his pickup truck to
actually carry the body of the drowning victim from the beach to an area where
a mortuary vehicle was waiting.
Until a few weeks ago, there were no
warning signs posted at Larsen’s Beach. That has changed largely through the
efforts of Goldberg and his wife.
It took persistence, but the couple
prevailed, and warning signs have now been posted at Larsen’s, which is near
Moloa’a Bay.
Larsen’s Beach, according to Goldberg, should have been a
candidate for warning signs long before claiming its most recent victim.
Protected by an offshore barrier reef, the area inside the reef looks
deceivingly calm and inviting. But channels that pull water, carried in by
waves, back out to sea “create incredible rip tides,” he said.
Shortly
after the accident, the couple started their crusade to get warning signs
posted.
“I didn’t know who to call to try to get some kind of signage put
up,” Goldberg said.
So he called the state Department of Land and Natural
Resources, the mayor’s office, county lifeguards, Meadow Gold (lessee of land
near an access area leading to the beach), and Waioli Corporation (owners of
the land leased by Meadow Gold).
Goldberg said Sam Lee, DLNR Kaua’i land
agent, helped him identify landowners in the beach area. Meadow Gold officials
said it would probably be OK to post the warning signs, but that Goldberg
should check with Waioli Corp., the land owner.
Bob Schleck, a corporation
spokesman, expressed concern for Goldberg’s situation, and indicated that he
thought it also would be all right for Goldberg to post the signs.
After a
corporation board meeting, Schleck called Goldberg and informed him that the
board approved posting the signs if they were issued by the county.
As a
result of Goldberg’s determination and the cooperation of private landowners
and the county, there are now four warning signs — one at each of two
trailheads leading from parking areas to the beach, and the other two at the
ends of the trailheads, just off the beach.
“Carelessness has cost lives,”
reads part of the sign just off the beach area.
For a time, the couple,
frustrated in their attempts to find out who is responsible for posting warning
signs, almost resorted to making signs themselves.
Then they found out
about the Kaua’i Ocean Rescue Council (KORC), and got lots of help from county
lifeguard supervisors Kaleo Ho’okano and Randy Ortiz, Goldberg said.
Access
to the beach is along a dirt road maintained by the county.
