In an effort to improve lifeguard response times, the city has added two personal watercraft on Oahu’s west and south shores.

Both personal watercraft, one at Hawaiian Electric Beach Park in Kapolei and the other at Kewalo Basin Harbor, were launched in February at a cost of $660,000, which includes equipment, training and operations for the first year. A team of two trained lifeguards is assigned to each personal watercraft.

Jim Howe, city Emergency Services director designate, said Friday that the additional personal watercraft based in Kapolei is intended to cut response times in half along the Leeward Coast. Howe spoke at Hawaiian Electric Beach Park and was joined by lifeguards and other city officials.

Prior to February there was only one personal watercraft, stationed at Makaha Beach Park, responsible for covering Kaena Point to Iroquois Point. With the new personal watercraft, lifeguards have a better chance of responding within four to six minutes, a critical time frame for people who are drowning.

Howe added that Hawaiian Electric Beach Park has become popular like Hanauma Bay, where tourists sometimes flood the “world-class snorkeling spot.” This year the new personal watercraft team has already conducted more than 130 rescues from the Waianae Boat Harbor to Iroquois Point, the city said. The department will evaluate whether the city needs to add a new lifeguard tower and a full-time team at Hawaiian Electric Beach Park.

The other personal watercraft on the south shore will oversee waters from the Ala Wai Boat Harbor to Pearl Harbor.

Brian Keaulana, a longtime lifeguard who trains personal watercraft teams, applauded the city for adding a second personal watercraft to the Leeward Coast. But he said two is not enough to cover the entire coastline. As a lifeguard and avid beachgoer, Keaulana recalled numerous occasions when lifeguards could have benefited from more personal watercraft.

“Safety is the end result, the mission,” Keaulana said. “This (second personal watercraft) makes a huge difference. But still to me that’s not enough.”

City Councilwoman Kymberly Pine, who represents the Leeward Coast, had sought additional funding for lifeguard services after she and her staff spent a day with Keaulana and other lifeguards at Makaha Beach Park about a year ago.

“That very day I saw what happens when the (personal watercraft) is in Makaha and the emergency is in Ko Olina,” Pine said. “This is a lifesaving necessity. This is about improving our safety out in the water and the Leeward Coast.”

Mayor Kirk Caldwell touted the new personal watercraft but criticized the state Legislature for not extending county lifeguards’ limited protection. State law currently provides lifeguards with limited protection from lawsuits when they undertake rescues.

A bill that passed the Legislature this year would require the state Attorney General to defend the counties against suits at state beaches while allowing the liability shield to lapse June 30, which Caldwell said leaves the counties vulnerable to costly lawsuits when someone is injured or drowns at a county beach.

Caldwell said the city will need to get more insurance and that those funds would be added to the upcoming fiscal year’s budget.

“I believe our lifeguards deserve limited protection. It’s about saving lives and honoring what our lifeguards do,” Caldwell said. “We want to make sure that they have the equipment and the support from the city and county to do their job.”

For information on the city’s upcoming Junior Lifeguard Program, visit oahujrlifeguards.surfsignup.com.