Maui Real Estate

More on beach safety

I just came across a web site that covers in great detail all the potential hazards in Hawaiian water, as well as ways to avoid or escape dangerous situations. The website is:

http://oceansafety.soest.hawaii.edu/safety/


The web site was established through cooperation betweenHawaii Lifeguard Association, City & County of Honolulu, County of Maui, Hawaii Department of Health, Hawaii Tourism Authority, and the University of Hawaii School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology as a non-profit venture.

Now is the time of the year when big swells come to Maui from all sides, in particular the North Shore, although West and South shores are affected from time to time.

Maui visitors often associate Maui with the calm, pristine waters they see in pictures like the one above, but the ocean can be rough, and I think one simple advice might help people avoid accidents in the water:

Always keep an eye on the ocean beyond the shore for several minutes before entering the water and also while swimming!

Unlike some other places in the world, where the beach conditions are pretty much consistent throughout the day (when it's calm it's calm all day long, and when it's rough, it's rough all day long as well), in Maui, the big waves come in sets every few minutes.

So, you might be pleasantly enjoying a swim near the shoreline, and, all of a sudden a set of huge waves catches you unprepared. And each wave is bigger than the one before it, until it calms down again for a few minutes.

The same is true for those watching the North Shore big waves. Every once in a while, a huge set of waves will make it all the way to the shore, and you don't want to be within reach when that happens!

So, if you know there is a swell, keep an eye on the ocean, and stay out of the area where the waves break when you see the big set of waves coming.

Aloha!

Vivian

Vivian Franco is a Realtor (S) with Prudential Locations Maui.