The first drowning of 2002 occurred Wednesday in waters off Queen’s Bath at Princeville. The drowning occurred shortly after 10:30 a.m., according to a report from the office of Mayor Maryanne Kusaka. The drowning incident began when two man from
The first drowning of 2002 occurred Wednesday in waters off Queen’s Bath at Princeville.
The drowning occurred shortly after 10:30 a.m., according to a report from the office of Mayor Maryanne Kusaka.
The drowning incident began when two man from the same vacationing family were swept offshore by the backwash of a wave while standing on rocks in a narrow inlet known as Turtle’s Cove, which is adjacent to Queen’s Bath.
Both victims, who are believed to both be in their 40s, were transported to Wilcox Hospital. The condition of the surviving victim was unknown late Wednesday afternoon.
The men were able to swim back to the rocky shelf along the coast at Queen’s Bath on a day of moderate surf with occasional larger sets. As they were attempting to climb out on the rocks another swell pulled one of the men back into the water, along with another family member who was trying to help pull them ashore. The third man was able to make it back to shore safely.
Fire and ambulance crews responded immediately to the call, and lifeguards from the tower at the Hanalei Pavilion responded via surf rescue jetski.
When the jetski arrived, one victim was non-responsive and the second was having trouble breathing.
The lifeguards returned to Hanalei Pier with the second victim, who was given oxygen by medics. His life was likely spared due to the quick response by lifeguards Mark McKamey and Kris Huber, said Fire Battalion Chief Bob Kaden.
In the meantime, firefighter Norman Solomon, who had run down the trail to Queen’s Bath within minutes of the call, swam about 150 yards offshore to wait with the non-responsive victim until the jetski returned. The man had apparently drowned prior to the jetski arriving.
The Queen’s Bath area was once lightly visited by fishermen, opihi pickers and local residents. Pictorial guide books of Kaua’i with detailed instructions on how to access the area drew a steady stream of visitors to the rocky coastline beginning about a decade ago. Marked parking near the trailhead was needed due to the increased stream of hikers discovering the trail. The County of Kaua’i recently marked the trail to Queen’s Bath as temporarily closed, advising that the area is dangerous and should be avoided.
Kaden said he advises anyone going in the ocean along Kaua’i’s coastline to watch swell conditions and wave patterns for up to 20 minutes before entering the water.
At this time last year two drownings had been recorded on Kaua’i, one at Queen’s Pond in Mana, and one at Prince Kuhio Beach along the coast at Koloa. In all there were eight drownings in Kaua’i waters in 2001 compared to 12 drownings in 2000.
