Hawaiian safety in the spotlight

The holiday island of Kauai has hit the headlines after a spate of drownings at popular tourist spots. Sixteen people have drowned this year in waters around the island, 11 of whom were tourists. Jen Kwong, a US tourist who lost her fiancée and a friend in January of this year when they were swept out to sea by a rogue wave, has called for the most dangerous areas of the island to be cordoned off. The three tourists had hiked to a lava pool near Secret’s Beach. Monty Downs, an emergency room physician at Wilcox Hospital on Kauai, and president of the island’s Lifeguard Association, said that the majority of fatalities had occurred at beaches where no lifeguard was present, as well as along lava rock shelves, which can be very dangerous in winter months, as he explained: “They are almost like hand grenade explosions if you go to the rock ledge and see what really happens when the winter swells come in. The waves explode 100 feet into the air.” Downs has called for a summit of government leaders and first responders on Kauai to work out a plan that would ensure the safety of swimmers in the future.