Cory Lum/Civil Beat
Chapter 1: Death In Paradise Is All Too Frequent For Visitors To Hawaii
Yet state, county and even tourism officials are doing little to try to reduce what's become one of the highest rates of visitor deaths in the nation.
Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat
Chapter 2: Stand Up Or Die: Snorkeling In Hawaii Is A Leading Cause Of Tourist Deaths
Breathing through a tube is uniquely challenging. And it can turn deadly for those who have health issues but don't recognize the risk.
Cory Lum/Civil Beat
Chapter 3: Families Shoulder A Hefty Burden When A Visitor Dies In Hawaii
Getting a loved one back home can be a tedious and costly process.
Flickr: Ted Murphy
Chapter 4: Is Hawaii Doing Enough To Oversee Commercial Tour Operators?
It's difficult for consumers to check up on tour companies, including their safety record or whether tour guides are qualified and trained.
Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2015
Chapter 5: How To Save Lives Without Scaring Tourists Away
Ocean safety experts, tourism officials, lawmakers and families who have lost loved ones have definite ideas about keeping visitors safe in Hawaii.
Related Stories
Cory Lum/Civil Beat
‘Bigger And Stronger Waves’ Are Perilous For Visitors
In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Hawaii's unique topography, currents, winds and other conditions often catch tourists off guard.
Courtesy: Todd Duitsman
Breaking Bad: Dozens Of Tourists Suffer Spinal Cord Injuries
Too many people are ignoring or simply not understanding the warning signs posted at many public beaches.
Cory Lum/Civil Beat
Pod Squad: Why Are So Many Tourists Dying In Hawaii?
Civil Beat staff discusses our new special report -- a multimedia series examining the high rate of visitor deaths in Hawaii.
Flickr: apasciuto
The Tyler Madoff Story: A Parent’s Worst Nightmare
The death of a 15-year-old boy from New York highlights the need for tour operators to follow state rules.
Ongoing Coverage
Cory Lum/Civil Beat
Danny De Gracia: There’s No Excuse For Not Protecting Our Tourists
It's a shame airlines have refused to show a safety video to passengers arriving in Hawaii, but here's what can be done to make sure visitors are informed.
Cory Lum/Civil Beat
Drownings Are On The Rise As Tourism Surges In Hawaii
Lifeguards have bolstered their efforts and ocean safety officials are trying to figure out why snorkeling is so deadly for visitors.
Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat
Searching For Answers To Unexplained Snorkeling Deaths
Research shows that the deaths are not necessarily due to anxiety, panic, fatigue, inexperience or rebreathing carbon dioxide.
Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat
What I Learned From My Wife’s Death Snorkeling On The Big Island
A widower reflects on the death of his wife in Hawaii waters.
Cory Lum/Civil Beat
10 Drownings In 3 Weeks: Will Hawaii Lawmakers Boost Ocean Safety Now?
The rash of deaths on Maui, predominantly visitors, has elected officials searching for solutions.
Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat
Six Recent Drownings On Maui Heighten Ocean Safety Concerns
Safety advocates want to know more about why four visitors and two local residents died in the last two weeks.
Courtesy: Kyle Pearce/Flickr
Brittany Lyte: The Deadliest Beach On Kauai Might Surprise You
A researcher analyzed drownings over 42 years. The beach with the most fatalities isn't considered the most hazardous.
Courtesy: Real Hawaii TV
Hawaii Hotels Airing New Ocean Safety Videos For Visitors
Two years in the making, the four clips will be shown in hotel rooms on the Real Hawaii TV channel.
Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat
Hawaii Tourists Are Drowning At Nine Times The Rate Of Locals
The 92 drowning deaths in 2016 represented a slight decrease from the previous year, but was slightly above average for the decade.
Marina Riker/Civil Beat/2015
Experts: Why Do So Many Hawaii Visitors Die Snorkeling?
A doctor says new full-face masks are a "recipe for disaster." He wants to measure the breathing resistance in various types of snorkeling tubes.
Anthony Quintano/Civil Beat
Counties: ‘We Got Screwed’ By The Legislature On Lifeguard Protection
Council members, mayors and others remain frustrated by the influence a group of personal injury lawyers had on the decision.
Anthony Quintano/Civil Beat
Counties Pressure State To Protect Lifeguards From Lawsuits
Hawaii's four mayors and county council members say the latest draft of a liability bill still puts lifeguards and beachgoers at risk.
Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat
Counties Threaten To Pull Lifeguards Over Fear Of Lawsuits
The Legislature is debating whether to extend limited liability protections for lifeguards over the objections of a group of personal injury lawyers.
Anthony Quintano/Civil Beat
Counties To Track Equipment Used In Snorkeling Deaths
A woman's drowning spurs officials to consider the possible hidden dangers of full-face snorkeling masks.
Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat
How One Woman’s Snorkeling Death Might Help Save Lives
Her husband thinks a new style of mask may be to blame, but no one keeps track of the equipment being used when someone drowns.
Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat
How A Big Island Family’s Tragedy Is Saving Lives Today
A couple lost their son in a hiking fall 20 years ago. They turned their grief into a memorial foundation raising money for lifeguards and firefighters.
Courtesy: Kyle Pearce/Flickr
Kauai Logs 12th Drowning Of 2016 — Twice As Many As Last Year
Two tourists die in two days on the Garden Isle, one at Poipu Beach and the other at Larsen's Beach.
Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat
Three Visitors Die In One Week
The drowning of an Australia man marked the third tourist death in three days.
Hawaii Department of Health
Disappointed? New Warning Signs Soft-Pedal Real Danger
State and tourism officials just don't want to say anything that could scare tourists — especially when it comes to drowning in Hawaii.
Flickr: Dave and Margie Hill
Visitor Drowns Swimming Off Kauai
He was 57 years old, visiting from Washington, D.C.
Anthony Quintano/Civil Beat
Hawaii Lifeguards Get 16 Percent Raises Under New Union Contract
They had pushed for a lot more, but state and county employers had offered a lot less. An arbitrator settled the issue.
Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat
Search Over For Man Swept To Sea
The visitor from Chicago was taking pictures at Queen's Bath on Kauai.
Flickr: Forest and Kim Starr
Kite Surfer Found Dead Off Maui
The California visitor was out in heavy surf Thursday.
NASA
Visitor Dies After Cliff Jumping On Big Island
A 36-year-old man died in waters off the west coast of Hawaii island.
Courtesy: NASA
Visitor Drowns Snorkeling On Kauai
The Oregon man was found unresponsive off of the south shore.
Courtesy: Terry Lilley
Kauai Lifeguards Rescue Local Man In Huge Surf Off Lumahai
The 29-year-old Hanalei man was swept out to sea off the north shore Wednesday. A marine biologist said dozens of other beachgoers were endangered.
Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat
Visitor Drowned After Lifeguards’ Day Ended
A Maryland man died at a beach that is guarded most of the day, but not early in the morning or later in the evening.
PF Bentley/Civil Beat
Todd Simmons: Lessons From A Near Tragedy
"Dying for Vacation" detailed the sad fates that meet too many visitors to Hawaii's coastal waters. But as this writer learned, the risks aren't limited to tourists.
Cory Lum/Civil Beat
The Projector: Paradise Can Be Perilous
Signs can be posted and lifeguards can keep watch, but there are hazards inherent in enjoying all the islands have to offer. And not everyone is being careful.
Visitor Dies Kayaking Off Molokai
An Oklahoma man was hit by a wave and fell into the water.