Hawaii Struggling To Find Out If Full-Face Snorkel Masks Are Dangerous

Oct 8, 2019

The counties have been unable to collect enough data on the type of mask worn in drowning incidents to draw any conclusions yet.

By Nathan Eagle

In 2017, Hawaii lifeguards started trying to track what type of snorkeling equipment was worn in drowning incidents throughout the islands after stories emerged about the potential hazards of the increasingly popular full-face masks.

They remain committed to the effort, but collecting information has proven challenging, county officials said.

Ocean safety experts have been unable to draw any conclusions from the data that lifeguards and paramedics have provided over the past two-plus years, but they are optimistic that ongoing studies and future surveys will net clearer answers.

“Everyone is really quick to indict these full face masks,” said Ralph Goto, who is on a snorkeling safety steering committee and co-chairs a multi-agency drowning prevention committee.

“Part of me wants to agree with them,” he said. “But the rational part says we don’t have any evidence.”

Of 112 snorkeling-related drownings in Hawaii from 2014 to 2018, there was information on the type of mask worn in just 16% of the incidents. A full-face mask was worn in five drownings and a traditional two-piece mask and snorkel was worn in 11 drownings, according to state health department data.

Drownings have continued to increase in Hawaii as tourism has surged. The rate of visitor deaths far outpaces that of local residents, especially when it comes to snorkeling. More than 90% of snorkeling-related drownings are tourists.

Guy Cooper, whose wife drowned snorkeling in 2016 while visiting the Big Island, turned his focus immediately to the type of mask she was wearing. It was a blue Azorro full-face mask she purchased on Amazon before the trip.

He has raised his concerns with county and state officials, consumer protection sites, media outlets and others over the past few years as full-face masks have proliferated. Beginner snorkelers in particular have gravitated to this new style for its highly touted ease of use.

“I have been heartened by the increasing number of tours and retail outlets banning full-face masks and the social media cautions after every incident,” Cooper said. “And, to be fair, I’m encouraged by the industry nudging towards independent testing.”

But he said he remains frustrated by the lack of consistency in county reporting.

Cooper, who moved from California to Hawaii after his wife died, and others concerned about this issue say the design of full-face masks may cause carbon dioxide to build up and lead to someone passing out. They add that it’s inherently harder to remove the mask in case of emergency because of how the strap harness fits around the head.

Some snorkeling stores, tour companies and resorts — from Hawaii to Puerto Rico and beyond — have either refused to carry or stopped carrying full-face masks due to safety concerns. Those decisions have been based on their own experience with snorkeling equipment, their observations over time and individual stories.

Robert Wintner, who owns Snorkel Bob’s rental stores on four of the Main Hawaiian Islands, said his employees tested the full-face masks and decided “no way.”

Pride of Maui recently banned full-face masks from its snorkel tours, citing the potential dangers of carbon dioxide build-up leading to dizziness, headaches or unconsciousness. The company says on its website that this can also happen with poorly designed standard snorkel tubes.

Company manufacturers of the original full-face masks, like Ninja and Head/Mares, have underscored that not all masks are created equal. They argue that there is nothing to worry about with their versions because they were designed to expel CO2, but the knock-offs from China and elsewhere don’t.

Ocean safety advocates in Hawaii have designed special instruments to start testing the equipment, but the results are not yet available.

“They’re all dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing,” Goto said.

‘It’s Going To Take Awhile’

Dan Galanis, the state epidemiologist, said record collection improved over time as more people became aware of possible issues with full-face masks. But he said the narrative text on death certificates specifies nothing about the type of equipment.

He has relied on EMS records instead, but those have been spotty at best.

Galanis plans to review autopsy records next, but that requires filing an application with the Institutional Review Board, which ensures the rights of research subjects, and establishing a memorandum of agreement with the counties.

“So it’s going to take a while,” he said, adding that he doesn’t see a practical way of gathering sufficient data on the near drownings.

Galanis has suggested adding a question to the exit surveys that the Hawaii Tourism Authority administers.

The agency already asks what type of ocean activities visitors engaged in during their trip. Galanis wants to add a multiple choice follow-up that asks, if you went snorkeling, what type of equipment did you use?

He said these surveys are conducted several times a year and the results are pretty quick. It wouldn’t include local residents, but that wouldn’t matter much since nearly all of the snorkeling-related drowning victims are visitors.

The head of HTA’s research team said it would be possible to add a conditional question for people who went snorkeling but doubted whether it would get to the root of seeing if one type of mask is safer than another, HTA spokeswoman Marisa Yamane said.

Yamane said the researcher questioned if it would just ascertain if one type of mask is more popular than another, and noted that if someone drowned they wouldn’t be taking the survey anyway.

In the meantime, HTA is working with the Department of Health on a snorkel safety survey.

Dr. Philip Foti, principal investigator, and Carol Wilcox, project manager, are looking for at least 100 participants to share first-hand accounts of difficulties they experienced while snorkeling. They hope to identify risk factors associated with snorkeling-related drownings and then develop appropriate messages. 

Kauai Leads In Data Collection

Kauai has led the effort so far in collecting data on the type of snorkel mask worn in drowning incidents, thanks in large part to the county having switched to electronic reporting on Jan. 1.

The Kauai Fire Department Ocean Safety Bureau reported four snorkeling-related deaths so far this year. One of the deceased was wearing a full-face mask.

Of 56 snorkeling-related rescues this year on Kauai, lifeguards reported 13 people were wearing full-face masks and 43 had two-piece mask and snorkel.

Lifeguards rescued an unconscious Princeville woman who was snorkeling in a full-face mask at Kee Beach in May. They resuscitated her on shore.

Shayne Enright, spokeswoman for the Honolulu Emergency Services Department, said the county does not systematically log what type of snorkel equipment was used in a drowning or maintain such information in a database. But she said officials do let the state epidemiologist and ocean safety committee know when possible if someone drowned while using a full-face mask.

Hawaii County officials did not respond to Civil Beat’s data request.

On Maui, Battalion Chief Jeff Giesea said the county, which has the highest rate of visitor drownings, does not have any useful numbers at this time but is working on developing systems to change that.

“We don’t currently have reliable or comprehensive data correlating drownings/snorkeling incidents with mask type,” he said in an email.

One reason is that many of Maui’s beaches don’t have lifeguards, he said, and many incidents happen outside of when lifeguards work. This means the county relies on data from responding fire crews or others, and there is currently not a reliable mechanism in place to ensure that data is collected, he said.  

A Texas man wearing a full-face mask drowned there in May. The 64-year-old was snorkeling in calm waters off Black Rock at Kaanapali Beach when he was found floating face down.

“Efforts had been made in the past to collect this data but they need to be renewed and ‘fortified’ to be reliable,” Giesea said. “So any numbers we can gather at this point will likely tell a misleading story.”

He said a couple of weeks ago he started a conversation with the Department of Health to renew Maui’s efforts to acquire such data in a way that allows the county to draw meaningful conclusions. The county is also looking into adopting an electronic incident reporting system that will greatly enhance its data collection and processing.

Drownings Are On The Rise As Tourism Surges In Hawaii

Jul 26, 2019

Lifeguards have bolstered their efforts and ocean safety officials are trying to figure out why snorkeling is so deadly for visitors.

By Nathan Eagle

A record-breaking 10 million visitors are expected to vacation in Hawaii this year, driving the economy with $18 billion in spending.

But it’s the tourists who don’t make it home alive that experts focused on Friday at the state’s annual ocean safety conference in Honolulu.

Drowning has long been the leading cause of death for tourists in Hawaii, far outpacing the rate of drownings for residents and the national average. And that’s not likely to change anytime soon, especially as more people come to the islands and venture to more remote corners thanks to social media.

Just this week, a 37-year-old man died after scuba diving on the North Shore of Oahu, a 68-year-old Canadian man drowned off of Hawaii island and a search was called off for a missing local swimmer at Polihale Beach on Kauai, the same place a 53-year-old Georgia man drowned last month.

But health officials and emergency responders said they are optimistic that additional lifeguards, working expanded and reconfigured hours, along with new equipment and better public outreach will reduce ocean-related injuries and deaths. They are also hopeful that ongoing studies will help determine why snorkeling is such a perilous activity for visitors.

Of 206 snorkeling-related deaths over the past decade, 189 were non-residents, according to the latest state Department of Health data.

The numbers have only increased over time. Between 1994 and 1998, only 19 people drowned while snorkeling. That soared to 103 non-residents drowning while snorkeling between 2014 and 2018. Meanwhile, the number of visitors drowning during other activities like swimming or diving has either remained flat or dropped.

Ralph Goto, who’s on the snorkeling safety steering committee and co-chairs a multi-agency drowning prevention committee, said evidence-based information needs to reach visitors in a meaningful way.

“We’re not giving them any specific advice,” Goto said, like how to use snorkeling equipment, what kind of risk factors are involved and how to avoid getting in trouble.

“It’s no longer just ‘stupid tourists,’” he said. “People need to be educated.”

Goto wants the counties to collect and supply more data to bolster the studies that in turn can be used to shape policies and public messaging on ocean safety. Researchers need more information on what type of snorkel mask the person was wearing, for instance, and where they are from. And if they survived the incident, a contact number would enable follow-up surveys.

Goto said he wants to be able to move beyond anecdotal stories, which have suggested potentially fatal flaws in new full-face snorkeling masks, and into scientifically backed reports.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority provided $131,000 to support the research study on snorkeling safety. Keith Regan, HTA chief administrative officer, said the agency funded it because of the increasing number of visitors involved in drownings and near-drownings throughout the state.

“Gaining a better understanding of the causes and risk factors related to snorkeling will help reduce and possibly prevent future incidents,” he said in a statement Friday. “This is all about saving lives through understanding and prevention. In order for us to save lives, we need the research that will guide us down the best path.”

Dan Galanis, a state epidemiologist who has spent the past two decades analyzing injury data and prevention techniques, reported that visitors are drowning at eight times the rate of locals.

There was an average of 71 drownings per year between 2009 and 2018, according to the latest data. Galanis said it is trending upward as more visitors come to Hawaii, highlighting 85 drownings in each of the past two years — more than half of which were tourists.

He broke down the data to show, for the first time, where they are visiting from. California and Japan topped the list, with 22% and 12% of the drownings respectively. Galanis said marketing efforts to attract more tourists from China and Korea may increase their rankings.

Galanis also looked at underlying and contributing causes of death. He found that heart disease was an underlying cause of death in 41% of ocean drowning victims between 2009 and 2018 for snorkelers ages 40 to 70 — virtually the same percent as other ocean drownings.

Civil Beat has reported extensively on ocean safety for the past several years, including its special report “Dying For Vacation” that investigated why tourists are so much more likely to drown here.

While many questions remain unanswered, it’s clear that warning signs are routinely ignored, safety messages don’t reach visitors in an effective way, unique ocean conditions catch people off guard and snorkeling’s many hazards are often hidden.

Beyond mayors proclaiming ocean safety week to spread awareness, the state and counties have stepped up funding for lifeguards, giving them raises in recent years, extending their hours, establishing new towers and adding roving patrol units to boost coverage at unguarded beaches.

The state finally provided funding last year for lifeguards at Kua Bay on the Big Island. The beach park used to be a remote place locals hiked to visit. Now there’s a paved road and loads of tourists go every day.

Hanauma Bay, which continues to record the highest number of drownings each year, is undergoing a pilot program where guards work four 10-hour days. The city is trying to determine if it helps to have them there an hour earlier and an hour later to cover more daylight hours.

Honolulu Chief of Ocean Safety John Titchen said this also gives the guards three days to rest so they come back fresh each week, noting how Hanauma Bay is particularly challenging because so many people are there floating face down in the water to begin with while snorkeling in the iconic marine reserve.

Titchen is working to ramp up the mobile response units on Oahu so lifeguards can get to “emerging hot spots” and dangerous areas faster.

“It’s the ability to deploy at a moment’s notice,” he said. “The old days of anticipating those threats based on where we know historically visitors have gone has passed.”

The Drowning and Aquatic Injury Prevention Advisory Committee, which includes key players from Hawaii’s various tourism and ocean safety agencies, has produced a new snorkeling safety brochure and a website, created in April, that steers people to beaches with lifeguards and offers real-time reports on ocean conditions throughout the islands.

On the neighbor islands, Maui has been increasing its efforts to educate beachgoers about spinal cord injury prevention. Makena Beach leads the state in spinal cord injuries.

And on Kauai, lifeguards have started doing electronic reporting of incidents using iPads, which provide real-time updates.

Kalani Vierra, Kauai ocean safety chief, said the technology has been encouraging despite working through challenges, like not having cellular service everywhere and training the entire staff.

“We still have a lot of room to grow,” he said.

What I Learned From My Wife’s Death Snorkeling On The Big Island

Feb 4, 2019

A widower reflects on the death of his wife in Hawaii waters.

By Nathan Eagle

My wife died in September 2016 while snorkeling Pohoiki Bay on the Big Island. A devastating shock. She planned a week’s stay. Lasted less than 24 hours.

I’ve since learned some things about her death and snorkeling. Some painful. Some I hope informative and life saving. If only I knew then …

She was an experienced snorkeler in Hawaiian waters and a strong swimmer.

She was found floating face up with her water-filled full-face mask pulled up, exposing her mouth and nose. She’d been in the water less than an hour. No struggle was witnessed. The fact that the mask was pulled partly off suggests something went wrong, suddenly, and she tried to get the thing off. Too late.

The coroner’s report is not much help. Part of the autopsy findings are consistent with drowning. But it also suggests a contributing history of ischemic heart disease (clogged arteries). Really? She had no such history. The coroner’s own examination does not support that conclusion. Her own doctor thought that conclusion bunk.

Are epidemiologists and ocean safety officials jumping to the wrong causation conclusions about ocean fatalities in Hawaii, relying too heavily on possibly misleading coroners’ reports?

No one inquired about my wife. The coroner knew nothing of the circumstances, the mask, her experience, fitness, or medical history. Might there have been other contributing factors? What is the purpose of a coroner’s report if not to uncover facts that might help prevent future deaths?

Thirteen times more people die in Hawaiian waters than anywhere else in the U.S., the vast majority tourists. It could be these visitors are overestimating their own abilities or underestimating the power of the ocean. There is that. But typically these fatalities occur in placid waters without warning. Victims are found just quietly floating. Mysteriously dead. What else might be going on?

The full-face mask. It was novel. She tried it out at the local swimming pool. Died in it at Pohoiki.

Hawaii ocean safety officials never considered the equipment. The paramedics threw her mask away. No snorkeling incident reports mention the gear. My persistence has now led Hawaii ocean safety officials to collect that data.

No industry standards or independent certifications of snorkeling gear exist. Anything goes. To be fair, until recently all snorkeling gear was essentially alike. That’s changed. These new full-face masks are increasingly popular. They are aggressively marketed as offering enhanced comfort, view, ease of use, and safety. Great for kids and beginners.

Many versions of these masks are available on Amazon. Cheap knockoffs are promoted with fraudulent reviews. I wish I had known of this before an Amazon bargain killed my wife. At least, I think that’s what happened.

Many snorkeling sites question the whole concept. Forums relate bad experiences. There’s reports of sudden leaking, air hunger, exertion intolerance, claustrophobia, manufacturing flaws. There’s CO2 buildup resulting in dizziness, disorientation and near loss of consciousness. An inability to remove the mask in a hurry leads to panic. And there have been deaths.

Negative Amazon reviews have been deleted. Mine, reporting my wife’s death, was repeatedly removed. Amazon cannot or will not explain why. Actually, it’s all about manipulating the product ratings. There are review mills out there compensating people for posting positive reviews. Google “Amazon fake reviews.” Pure fraud. Amazon’s policing is largely ineffective. Amazon will not even provide manufacturer contact info for my wife’s mask. Really? Buyer beware.

Meeting with ocean safety officials from Hawaii, I brought along an identical mask. Some remarked that it was “weird,” “claustrophobic,” “scary,” “possibly dangerous.”

What makes the full-face mask design problematic? They strap tightly around the head and are difficult to quickly remove. Some apparently have design flaws that contribute to leaking, valve failures and improper gas exchange.

Dead Airspace

There’s a concept called dead airspace. That’s where oxygen and carbon dioxide (CO2) are exchanged. You need to effectively exhale all the CO2, or rebreathing it could lead to the aforementioned symptoms of dizziness, disorientation and unconsciousness. The larger the dead air space, the harder it is to purge the CO2.

There’s a lot more dead airspace in an enveloping full-face mask than in a narrow snorkel tube. Designs vary, but who knows if you have a good one or bad one? There’s the fake reviews. There’s the lack of industry standards and independent certification. Again, buyer beware.

Full-face masks have been banned in some swimming pools and aboard some excursions. Some retailers and rental outlets won’t carry them. The industry itself has claimed there’s no evidence these masks are unsafe. Well, yeah. There’s no evidence because there’s no data. But there have been deaths.

A recent spate of Hawaii snorkeling deaths, nine in two weeks last year, included two with full face masks. Some point out that ratio and conclude the gear is not the issue. Unfortunately, they are conflating separate statistics. What percentage of snorkelers use full-face masks? What percentage of full-face mask users get into trouble compared to the percentage of those using conventional gear? Could these new masks be more dangerous? No data exists. And no one has any idea how many near drownings occur that are never reported.

I’ve absorbed a lot since my wife’s death. I’m trying to turn some of it to good. She would wish that. I would advise people to be aware and informed. Know your fitness level, your level of experience. Know the challenges of Hawaiian waters. Know your equipment. Practice responding to emergencies. Never snorkel alone.

Snorkeling is not quite the light-hearted activity the tourism industry promotes. Thoroughly research the gear and don’t rely on someone casually offering you a new kind of mask because it’s so cool. Appreciate your circumstances. You’re on vacation. Ready for adventure. Maybe been partying. There’s even a current suggestion that recent air travel might heighten your physical risk. What Hawaiian tourist hasn’t recently been flying? For that matter, what Hawaiian Tourism entity is even going to mention that possibility?

Be informed. Be aware. Be safe. Mahalo.

Six Recent Drownings On Maui Heighten Ocean Safety Concerns

Jan 26, 2018

Safety advocates want to know more about why four visitors and two local residents died in the last two weeks.

By Nathan Eagle

Six people have drowned in the past two weeks on Maui, prompting ocean safety advocates to ramp up efforts to warn visitors about the dangers of snorkeling and to study new types of masks that have become increasingly popular.

All six were males and their average age was 59. Two were local residents from Maui, two were from California, one was from Texas and the other was from Canada.

Officials have confirmed that two unrelated men from the Bay Area in California died after snorkeling off of Kamaole Beach Park III. Both were wearing full-face snorkeling masks, an alternative to the two-piece snorkel tube and mask.

Civil Beat has reported since March about the inherent dangers that lifeguards, doctors and others have identified in the use of full-face masks, including carbon dioxide buildup and difficulty removing the equipment quickly in an emergency.

But there have been no studies to conclusively determine if it was the mask type that caused the drownings. Many people like using them, but others have reported near-death experiences and fatal incidents.

Nancy Peacock, a 70-year-old woman from California, drowned off the coast of Hawaii Island in September 2016 while wearing a full-face mask. Her husband, Guy Cooper, immediately began investigating the cause and started asking government officials for their help in raising awareness and collecting additional data in drowning incidents, which all four counties in Hawaii have agreed to do albeit with varying degrees of success.

Cooper said the people who manufacture or sell the full-face masks — which over the past year have become widely available to rent at hotels, purchase online or buy at stores throughout the islands — consistently point to a lack of evidence showing the masks pose a danger or have ever led to anyone’s death.

“Lack of evidence is a problem,” he said, “because up until just recently none has been collected, reported and analyzed.”

Cooper questioned the repeated claim that their products are safe and asked where the evidence is to support those claims.

“There are so many uncounted anecdotal reports out there of the use of these masks leading to dangerous, life-threatening situations,” he said. “These are only the reports we can hear. We can’t hear from those no longer with us, such as my wife, or the two snorkelers in Maui who recently perished while strapped into these things.”

Snorkeling remains the leading cause of death among visitors to Hawaii, where they are drowning at nine times the rate of local residents.

There were 169 snorkeling drownings between 2007 and 2016, according to the state health department. Of those, 156 were visitors, with Maui leading the state with 69 deaths.

Cooper is still waiting for answers to questions about why there are so many drownings and under what circumstances.

“We need answers to these questions,” he said.

Dr. Philip Foti, an Oahu physician who specializes in pulmonary and internal medicine, is pursuing answers. He is developing a machine of sorts that will be able to test different types of snorkel tubes to see which ones create the most resistance while breathing through them.

There are other studies in the works to test for carbon dioxide buildup. There is dead space ventilation in some types of the full-face masks that seems greater than in the standard snorkel tube, Foti said at an ocean safety conference last year. There is concern that the carbon dioxide buildup in the mask could cause someone to become disoriented or lose consciousness.

Colin Yamamoto, who retired in December as Maui County’s Ocean Safety battalion chief after 30 years with the Fire Department, said some unscientific tests were conducted late last year to test for carbon dioxide.

The tests involved putting on a full-face mask and after five minutes inserting a probe that’s used to detect carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, he said. The readings showed the levels to be above what emergency responders call IDLH, immediately dangerous to life and health. The levels were also above STEL, short-term exposure limit.

Yamamoto, like other ocean safety advocates, does not want to jump to conclusions about the safety of full-face masks or other equipment. But he said it’s important to try to find out for sure, one way or the other, so the public can be fully informed.

Over the past five months, roughly one-fourth of the people who drowned snorkeling off the coast of Maui were wearing a full-face mask, Yamamoto said, cautioning that this could be interpreted in numerous ways.

“There is interest in looking at the mechanics of respiration across various types of snorkels/masks among members of the Advisory subcommittee,” said Bridget Velasco, state drowning and spinal cord injury prevention coordinator. “However, this is in preliminary stages and there is nothing to report at this point. It would also seem possible to assess respiratory strain under controlled, experimental conditions, but again this is out of the (Department of Health) purview.”

In the meantime, there’s a renewed focus on public safety messages.

“Tourists coming to Hawaii need to be urgently forewarned that they might be at risk of dying while ‘playing’ in these beautiful waters,” Cooper said.

Ralph Goto, who chairs the Drowning and Aquatic Injury Prevention Advisory Committee, which includes key players from Hawaii’s various tourist and ocean safety agencies, said he and others on a snorkeling-focused subcommittee met Wednesday and again Thursday to discuss safety messaging.

“It’s taken too long,” he said. “People are still dying, dropping like flies.”

Last fall, the committee, after two years of work, approved messaging for four 25-second videos. They started airing in September every 90 minutes on the Real Hawaii TV channel that’s available in 25,000 hotel rooms on Oahu with plans to eventually air on the neighbor islands too.

Goto said that messaging was “pretty innocuous.”

“We need to come up with something a little more definitive and a little stronger,” he said.

Yamamoto stressed the importance of snorkeling and swimming at beaches with lifeguards, and to ask lifeguards or local residents about the conditions, which could include unseen rip currents, jellyfish or other hazards.

“We’ve got to send the message that snorkeling is a strenuous activity,” he said. “You need to be familiar with your equipment.”

Regardless of type of equipment used, Velasco said the health department and advisory committee strongly advocate for safe ocean activities as much as possible, which includes swimming or snorkeling with a “buddy” or in the presence of others and being aware of personal skill limitations and health issues.

Hawaii, which has had a record number of visitor arrivals for the past several years, is expected to top the 10 million mark in 2018.

“Hawaii needs to do a better job keeping our visitors safe,” Yamamoto said. “These are human beings with families in mourning.”

Hawaii Hotels Airing New Ocean Safety Videos For Visitors

Sep 15, 2017

Two years in the making, the four clips will be shown in hotel rooms on the Real Hawaii TV channel.

By Nathan Eagle

County ocean safety officials and state drowning prevention experts unveiled four 25-second videos Friday with tips for tourists to stay safe in Hawaii waters.

The four spots, produced by Visitor Video and 1013 Integrated, started airing last month every 90 minutes on the Real Hawaii TV channel that’s available in 25,000 hotel rooms on Oahu. There are plans to expand it to additional hotels on the neighbor islands by the end of the year.

Drowning is the leading cause of death among Hawaii’s nearly 9 million annual visitors.

Even as a press conference about the videos was being held Friday afternoon at the edge of Waikiki, emergency responders were searching for a 46-year-old California man who was last seen Thursday morning snorkeling off Tunnels Beach on the north side of Kauai, according to news releases.

Dennis Burns, president of Visitor Video, said the videos “tell it like it is” and that he hopes they help reduce the number of drownings in Hawaii.

“Sorry it took two years but here we are,” he said.

The state Drowning and Aquatic Injury Prevention Advisory Committee, a group of lifeguards, health officials and other stakeholders, has been meeting regularly since 2015 to come up with ways to improve the safety of visitors, residents and military personnel who recreate in Hawaii’s waters.

“Media and public service announcements can play a critical role in forming visitor attitudes regarding what is appropriate behavior,” said Bridget Velasco, the state’s drowning and spinal cord injury prevention coordinator.  “The challenge is to counter an always growing social media.”

Snorkeling is by far the most common activity visitors are engaged in when they drown, and experts are studying why that’s the case.

Last year, there were at least 71 ocean drownings, and 43 of the victims were visitors, according to the Honolulu Emergency Services Department.

Tourists are drowning at roughly nine times the rate of local residents, far higher than the national average.

Each of the new ocean safety videos delivers a message: know your limits; swim at beaches with lifeguards; snorkel with a buddy; and never turn your back on the ocean. They will air on the Real Hawaii TV channel, which is available in 50 hotels on Oahu but is not the default station.