Workshop dives into spate of recent snorkeling deaths

The Hawaiian Lifeguard Association is holding its first snorkeling safety workshop March 28 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in an effort to explore ways to prevent the high number of drownings related to the popular activity.

“What we hope to do is begin a dialogue,” said the association’s Ralph Goto, who sits on the state Health Department’s snorkel safety subcommittee. “I think it’s really important for people to understand that we don’t know exactly what’s happening, and that’s what we’re trying to find out.”

He said the workshop is aimed at businesses that rent snorkeling equipment, tour guides, first responders and the general public.

Besides presenting information from the state’s task force on drowning and aquatic injury prevention, there will be sessions on the physiology of drowning and possible causes of snorkeling-related deaths. A demonstration of various types of snorkeling equipment, including the increasingly popular full-faced masks, will be held at the Duke Kahana­moku Lagoon.

There will be discussion of whether equipment, pre-existing medical conditions or lack of experience are most responsible for snorkeling drownings and what kind of safety messages would be most effective in preventing drownings among visitors.

Bridget Velasco, state drowning and spinal cord injury prevention coordinator, is scheduled to present an update from the advisory task force. Dr. Philip Foti, who sits on the committee, will talk about the risk factors and possible causes of snorkeling-related drownings.

According to Health Department statistics, 169 out of 650 drownings between 2008 and 2016 were related to snorkeling. Most of the deaths, 156, were nonresidents. Snorkeling is the most common activity involved in ocean drownings in the state.

In just the first few months of this year there have been more than a dozen drowning incidents, including two snorkeling-related deaths on Maui and two on Oahu.