Last year, Civil Beat ran an award-winning series, “Dying for Vacation.”
It reported that snorkeling is now a leading cause of tourist deaths.
This was brought home last night in a Facebook post by a 2nd cousin from Oregon, Jim McPherson, who has been vacationing in Kona with other family members this week after scattering his dad’s ashes in the ocean off Waikiki on Sunday.
So I have to get this out and it’s probably going to take more than a few words….
This morning Deb and I made our acquaintance with a gentleman in a Denver Bronco baseball cap. We met in line for coffee and he was nice enough. We had a quick conversation about the Broncos and their upcoming game against the Cowboys. He mentioned he was getting some coffee for his wife. “She said she didn’t want any but I’m getting her some anyway. She’ll thank me later.” Then the discussion turned to how long we’ve been married and that kind of small talk. Then we parted ways.
I had to run back up to the room and the gentleman got on the elevator with his wife this time. We chatted again about the upcoming game and since they got off the elevator before I did we wished each other a good vacation and hoped we could chat again. That was about 9:30 this morning.Deb and I went on to do our activities and returned to the hotel at about 4:30. We pulled into the valet parking and were unloading the car. I plopped our bags on the ground and found myself face to face with the man in the baseball cap again. I know I smiled and asked how his day went. He asked me when the last time we talked was and I told him it was after coffee in the elevator this morning. Without missing a beat he told me his wife had drowned while snorkeling that afternoon. I really didn’t know how to respond other than, “I certainly hope you’re kidding me.”
It turns out that he wasn’t. They were out and somehow she took on water. He realized she was in trouble when he turned around to find her face down in the water. Apparently the lifeguards and the ambulance were quick to respond but she was now in critical condition in the ICU at the local hospital.
He was still in shock and was waiting for the rain to subside (we had downpours this afternoon) before he went to his car and would drive to the hospital. While he waited he talked to us about anything other than his wife’s condition. He’s a “birder” in town for a convention. He and his wife have been married for 52 years. He was a pilot and got his experience in South Africa years ago after United Airlines turned him down. He had a part in the Gulf War during Desert Shield. On and on he talked.
Deb and I let him talk…. he needed to keep his mind elsewhere because if he didn’t he would lose it. We could tell. We felt for him deeply because I suppose we were the only thing keeping him from going to the hospital to the reality of the situation.
Finally the rain let up and he said he was going. I realized we didn’t know his name so introductions were made. His name is John and his wife is Jackie. More conversation about how they’ve stayed married 52 years by “renewing their contract every 5 years.” It was very touching and made my relationship with Deb spanning 23 years seem short.
We asked what we could do to help but I think we already did… maybe…. in a small way. Just listen for the 25 minutes while the rain fell.
I don’t know if Jackie will make it. I don’t know if we’ll see John again. I hope she will and and I hope we will. But this is the first time I’ve been even remotely close to a vacation going this wrong. It really put things into perspective.
I know it’s a tragic accident but it’s a sobering reminder that even in a paradise like Hawaii it can happen.
Life’s a fragile thing…. enjoy it to the fullest because, well, you never know…..
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Such a sad story. One of many just like it.
Our legislators need to start thinking about requiring snorkel rental companies to provide familiarization courses for their customers and possibly guides to prevent drownings and damaging coral reefs.
There are way too many drownings of visitors using snorkel gear. While it looks simple enough, it actually places people in an unfamiliar and hazardous environment with equipment that is not intuitive.
For example, you don’t simply breath with a snorkel. The pressure of the water around your chest, even when you’re at the surface, tends to force air from your lungs.
You have to forcefully inhale, then hold that breath briefly until you’re ready to take the next breath. But before you do, you sharply exhale when you feel the snorkel is clear of the water. That clears the snorkel of any water that might have collected in it.
If you inhale at random, the snorkel might not be clear of the surface and you could inhale water. And that’s how people drown, even if they don’t venture below the surface.
You can always surface and spit if not able to clear the snorkel-some snorkels have a valve that allows one to evacuate the well- easy peasy-
The full face mask diving mask is not safe- especially for newbies. I suggest that people who want to snorkel purchase their own mask, snorkel and fins- I would not want to use equipment that has been used before and perhaps not disinfected. There are cheap knockoffs for the full face mask- they are not safe.
I use a swimmers snorkel with goggles – very comfortable. But always, be sure that you are safe
While it’s easy to spit the snorkel and get a breath of air the problem is that before that happens people sometimes inhale a little bit of water. They start to cough involuntarily, preventing them from catching their breath.
Then panic sets in.
“State Department of Health data shows that since 2005, more than 128 visitors have drowned snorkeling in Hawaii’s waters, from Kaanapali on Maui to Shark’s Cove on Oahu to Haena Beach Park on Kauai.
“Of those, most were men in their 50s and 60s, and more than 40 percent had heart conditions.
“Most of the deaths occurred in less than 3 feet of water.”
— Civil Beat special report on visitor deaths
Perhaps a law protecting visitors from snorkeling deaths should also specify disinfection of equipment. Similar to food safety requirements considering that these things are going into mouths. Any number of diseases could be transmitted from the mouth and eyes.