Dr. Monty Downs’ last few discussions in The Garden Island have focused on the private sectors’ involvement in drowning prevention. In his last column (Nov. 7), he brought up the issue of staffing beaches in front of resorts with professional
Dr. Monty Downs’ last few discussions in The Garden Island have focused on the private sectors’ involvement in drowning prevention. In his last column (Nov. 7), he brought up the issue of staffing beaches in front of resorts with professional lifeguard programs.
It’s been a hotly contested issue for many years here in Hawai‘i, where some of the state’s best swimming beaches are dominated by resort developments. A thorough discussion of the topic would take several pages of print, and will be left for future debate. Perhaps, a better segue from Dr. Downs’ last column is to discuss what the visitor industry is doing to make the beaches safer on Kaua‘i. They are getting help from the private sector in the form of innovative drowning prevention tools.
It doesn’t come as a surprise to many locals that most drowning deaths on the island are visitors (71 percent — 1997-2006; source: Kaua’i Beach Hazard Survey).
Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death of visitors to Hawai‘i. Kaua‘i has the highest drowning rate in the state (per population base). Clearly, the visitor industry has an interest, and some would argue, a responsibility, when it comes to beach and ocean safety. Last year alone, eight visitors drowned on the island.
That’s unacceptable by anyone’s standard. The question is what are we doing to get on top of the problem? A couple innovative projects that are gaining traction in the visitor industry adopt new technology and old attitudes to promote visitor safety at Kaua‘i’s beaches.
First, some history and background is in order. Early on, visitor destinations like those on the beach at Waikiki, and at our own Kaua‘i Surf at Kalapaki Bay, local “beach boys” looked after the safety of visitors in the ocean. They were the lifeguards, the surf instructors, and the canoe captains. Percy “Leleo” Kinimaka is a legend here on Kaua‘i for his many years of service on the beach at the Kaua‘i Surf. His friend and mentor, Duke Kahanamoku, held the belief that, “a good lifeguard is one that doesn’t get wet.” To the beach boys, this meant that you provided safety at the beach through local knowledge. They didn’t wait for guests to get caught in a rip current, or hit by big waves. Instruction and supervision were cornerstones of the beach boy style. Kinimaka took a personal interest in everyone who came to the beach at Kalapaki. I bring this up to highlight an attitude on visitor safety. It’s an approach that I think can be more effective in drowning prevention than pressuring the resort industry to post lifeguards at their beachfront properties. You could call it the, “Every concierge a beach boy” concept. From a practical standpoint, it involves putting a new spin on an old model.
Today, we face a different traveler than those Percy Kinimaka and his fellow beach boys held court over. Today’s visitor to Kaua‘i is looking for a “hidden” or “underground” beach where they can get away from the crowds and cabanas. Many of these locations are remote, often dangerous, and can pose aquatic risks that challenge even the seasoned watermen who live here. Today’s traveler gets instant access to these sites through an array of guidebooks, Web sites, blogs and activity vendors. Unfortunately, there are no beach boys who watch out for the public at Larsen’s Beach, or Hanakapi‘ai, or Queen’s Bath, or Lumahai. But there can be a beach boy approach to safety at these and other locations. The seeds for such a concept have been planted in the past few years, and they could have a positive impact on drowning prevention if they gain widespread adoption by island resorts, B&Bs, activity desks, and ocean recreation vendors.
I’m referring to three projects: The WAVE Project, the kauaiexplorer.com Web site, and its Kaua‘i Ocean Report, and the Kaua‘i Beach Guide publication. All three projects have the support of the Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau, the mayor, and the Ocean Safety Bureau. The goal of each of these programs is to raise the quality of information going to our visitors before they go to the beach. This approach addresses the leading cause of drowning: the failure to recognize hazardous conditions and activities. This is where the beach boy mind-set on visitor safety can take on a new life. For instance, last week some friends were visiting from the Mainland. They were headed to the beach last Wednesday when the surf was big at all North Shore beaches. I directed them to Kealia or Po‘ipu, where they could check with lifeguards, and likely find favorable swimming conditions.
Many of you do the same thing for your visiting friends and family. How many visitors left their hotel rooms, condos, and vacation rentals that day and headed to the North Shore to go snorkeling or swimming? Hundreds? Thousands? How many of them knew that they could check on ocean conditions with county lifeguards at Hanalei Bay and Ha‘ena Beach Park? What we do know is that very few visitors recognize the danger posed by these conditions. That’s where the visitor industry can play a huge role in drowning prevention. We have to get quality beach safety information to visitors. Our visitors deserve to know what the daily conditions are, and what beach activities they can realistically expect to enjoy … no matter where they go to the beach. Three projects have come together to make it easy (and fun) for any visitor destination, organization, or individual to provide valuable beach safety information.
The longest running of these programs is the Kaua‘i Beach Guide, a brochure that features important beach safety tips, the location of county lifeguards, maps, and hazard information. Each year, over 100,000 of these guides are distributed to visitors. The county of Kaua‘i Office of Economic Development funds the project with support from the Visitor Industry Charity Walk. The kauaiexplorer.com Web site is a beach safety and information exchange that is solely devoted to beach safety and having fun on Kaua‘i’s beaches.
Kauaiexplorer.com is an innovative tool that every visitor center should take advantage of. The Web site publishes the Kaua‘i Ocean Report. Daily beach and surf observations from county lifeguards are posted in the report, and can be downloaded in a PDF format. This is a must-have resource for anyone working with visitors, especially if you have a role in their daily activities. Every visitor should have a copy of the Kaua‘i Ocean Report and the Kaua‘i Beach Guide as they head off to the beach.
The third front on education is the WAVE Project. WAVE stands for Water Awareness, Visitor Education. The WAVE Project strives to tie it all together: Local knowledge about Kaua‘i’s beaches, daily beach and surf observations and advisories via the Web, and printed guides and maps. The one-hour WAVE program takes participants on a visual tour of the island’s beaches. It features over three dozen Kaua‘i beaches including the seven staffed by lifeguards (soon to be nine). The production addresses seasonal ocean conditions around the island, known aquatic hazards, beach safety tips, and many of the best snorkeling and swimming beaches. Aerial photographs give a unique perspective on beach topography. Both large and small resort properties, activity desks and vacation rental companies have hosted the WAVE Project over the past year. There is no charge for the program. Organizations and individuals interested in the WAVE Project, or the Kaua’i Beach Guide can contact me at: waveproject@mac.com or by phone at 651-SURF.
The goal of all three of these programs is to raise the quality of information visitors receive about our beaches by offering tools and education to the visitor industry. With a million visitors per year coming to Kaua‘i, drowning prevention strategies have to be proactive and educational in nature. When it comes to enjoying our ocean environment safely, common sense isn’t always enough.
• Pat Durkin is a former county of Kaua’i lifeguard, and the author of the Kaua’i Beach Hazard Survey, a 35-year study of drowning and near drowning on the island. He conducts ocean safety training courses for children and adults. Dr. Downs’ column will return Dec. 5.
