Before we jump into what prompted this post, let’s review some Hawaii water safety recommendations.
Ocean/Beach Safety
The Hawaii Tourism Authority created the following video with useful advice from experts on Hawaii ocean conditions. It’s under a minute long and worth the watch.
Waterfall and Stream Safety
Now, what prompted this post? A twitter pal from the San Francisco Bay area alerted me to her local news coverage of the ocean dangers around Hawaii — particularly in Kauai. Sadly, 11 people drowned in Kauai this year alone — with three of those victims being from the Bay area. Here are the two news segments:
Part one – Dangerous Hawaii Destinations Revealed
In my opinion, Hawaii does a great job of posting signage about the dangers at each beach. It’s up to the beachgoers to heed the warnings. However, many visitors are easily distracted by the beauty of the ocean. Do you know the phrase you don’t know what you don’t know? I definitely think that applies to many Hawaii visitors. So, now that you know a little more about some of the dangers in Hawaii’s waters, look for signage, politely ask for advice and as always, when in doubt, don’t go out!
Have you ever had a close call in Hawaii’s waters?
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Here are a couple of more tips.
Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning
http://www.itstactical.com/medcom/medical/the-instinctive-drowning-response-drowning-doesnt-look-like-drowning/
Drowning doesn't look like it does on TV
http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/local_news/investigations/drowning-doesn%27t-look-like-it-does-on-tv#ixzz2TU2ghCVd
How to survive a Rip Current (Rip Tide)
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/ripcurrents/multimedia/RIP%2060s%20.wmv
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4peeulD5vSU
If you get stuck in a current and are being swept out to sea...
1) Do not struggle against the current.
Most riptide deaths are not caused by the tides themselves. People often become exhausted struggling against the current, and cannot make it back to shore.
2) Do not swim toward shore.
You will be fighting the current, and you will lose.
3) Swim parallel to shore, across the current.
Generally speaking, a riptide is less than 100 ft. wide, so swimming beyond it should not be too difficult.
4) If you cannot swim out of the riptide, float on your back and allow the riptide to take you away from shore until you are beyond the pull of the current.
Rip currents generally subside 50 to 100 yards from shore.
Once the riptide subsides, swim parallel to shore and then back to shore.
Are water sports open in October?
As long as the ocean conditions are favorable, there are water sports all year long in Hawaii.