Lifeguard Rose to Call of Duty
The following is my letter to the editor our local newspaper printed Jan. 27th. The incident occurred on Jan 22nd during the highest surf Kauai has experienced so far in 2014 – waves were 30-40 ft. that day:
Mahalo to new lifeguard Makana Weiss for saving the life of an older tourist late Wednesday afternoon at Kee Beach! The waves were huge, and beach closed signs were posted in plain sight, high up on the beach close to the tree line. There were a few people sitting at the very edge of the tree line. Suddenly a massive surge came up the beach all the way to the trees, and not only were chairs lost, but one man was swept out to sea.
It was terrifying to watch him being helplessly tossed about in the surf. Makana immediately ran down the beach and into the water. It took less than a minute of battling waves and incredibly powerful currents before he was able to rescue the visibly shaken tourist who had suffered minor injuries.
In all honesty, if the lifeguards hadn’t been on duty, we would have had our first drowning of the year. The surf was so dangerous that none of us watching would have been able to save that man. Or if we had tried, we would have experienced more than one drowning. It is so ironic that I posted on Facebook and Twitter that very morning: “Extreme high surf warning for north & west Kauai. Conditions so dangerous stay far away from ocean even on shore. Don’t become a statistic!”
Even more ironic is the fact that the law (Act 170) allowing the county to have lifeguards at a state beach (because it exempts the county from liability) will end June 30 unless Bill HB1607, or Bill SB 2116 are passed. If neither of these bills passes, the lifeguard tower and lifeguards will have to be removed from Kee Beach. Just imagine what would have happened Wednesday afternoon if that was already reality.
Our lifeguards do an amazing job in keeping our beachgoers safe on a daily basis. I for one am extremely grateful, and send them all my heartfelt mahalos for all of their hard work.
Vicki Sterne
Kauai Beach Guide iPhone app
Koloa
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