This will be a three part series in which we’ll explore what the private sector is doing and what it can be doing to address our ocean safety challenge. My observations will pertain mostly to the visitor industry and therefore they won’t really be addressing our residents’ ocean safety issues. I think you’ll find this series to be pretty workmanlike, the goal being to define the points of contact in which we can plant in our visitors, if only for a moment or two, a seed that says “use some caution.” The hope of course is that the planting of this seed will avert a family disaster.
First, what is the definition (as concerns this topic) of “the private sector”? I reach my answer to this by making a list of the types of businesses that come in contact with our visitors. My list goes as follows: pre-vacation planning (with travel agents or wholesale travel companies, nowadays often with the use of the internet); incoming airlines; airports; car rentals; place of residence (hotel, time-share, vacation rental, B&B); activities desks; guide books and “things to do” publications; equipment rentals (kayaks, snorkel gear, boogie boards); and finally, the beaches themselves. There obviously are many other private sector businesses (e.g. restaurants, gift shops, zip lines, trail rides, hospitals), but these for the most part aren’t relevant to ocean safety prevention efforts, although they certainly are welcome to play a role at any time!
Today’s column, with a nod to our greatest private sector contributor of all (namely wasabi design, the creator of kauaiexplorer.com, which I’ll hereafter refer to as kx), will review the first two items on our list. With all of the enthusiasm that I express for kx, I feel the need to state that I have no connection to wasabi or kx other than my heart and the still-beating hearts of people who have been helped by this remarkable, daily-updated Web site.
•Pre-vacation planning: I believe the key here is to have as many links to our ocean safety Web sites (kx, and/or oceansafety.soest.hawaii.edu) as possible. I myself am a particular fan of the former in regard to Kaua‘i, and the latter has great statewide information.
How to achieve these links? Good question.
I happen to have a personal friend who runs one of the travel wholesale companies, Classic Aloha Vacations, and she has incorporated the kx link into all her work and she’s spread the good word of kx to the many visitor industry people with whom she has contact. But how to get the gorillas in the field (e.g. expedia.com, travelocity.com, orbitz.com, hotels.com) on board and linked up is another matter. If any reader has suggestions or contacts on this please let me know.
The most “hit” Web site on Kaua‘i is The Garden Island’s kauaiworld.com, and they have graciously put the kx link onto their Web site as a public service.
That, dear readers, is the Aloha Spirit.
•Incoming airlines: This is a biggie. Every time that I run into someone who’s aware of my interest in ocean safety they say to me, “Hey, I have an idea for you. The incoming airlines should show a video on ocean safety during their video presentation.” I’ve heard people say that they’ve flown in on flights where the pilot made a brief “please be careful at the beaches” statement during his folksy pre-descent comments. That’s really good but unfortunately it’s not industry-wide policy or practice. I myself recently flew in on United and Gov. Linda Lingle came on with a one minute “Welcome to Hawai‘i” message. She is a great ambassador for us and I was on the edge of my seat waiting to hear the magic words. But regrettably her message did not contain those words that should come after “enjoy our beautiful beaches,” namely, “and please use caution, swim near a lifeguard.”
I’ve written Governor Lingle and asked her to add these potentially life-saving words. And I’ve been in steady, although not particularly fruitful, contact with her office regarding somehow nudging the airlines to show a brief ocean safety video. I need to note that, because of a personal connection that Kaua‘i’s own Kaupena Kinimaka has with someone in Hawaiian Airlines (namely his wife), Hawaiian’s executives did get interested in this idea. Ralph Goto, the head of our O‘ahu Lifeguards, coordinated the production of a short ocean safety video, and last I heard it is still being shown on all incoming Hawaiian flights.
These personal connections definitely seem to work better than do letter writing campaigns, many of which I have undertaken. And I again ask anyone who reads this column and who might have some connection with one or another of the airlines or the travel wholesaler executives, please contact me or our Task Force via e-mail at wmdowns2000@yahoo.com.
Thank you for your interest; it keeps this ocean safety dialogue going, and hopefully it will make a difference.
•Monty Downs is an emergency room doctor at Wilcox Memorial Hospital. His column appears every other Wednesday.
