A 77-year-old California woman has died after being pulled from the waters at Poipu Beach in Kauai. She is the third California tourist to die while visiting a Hawaii beach this month alone.
California resident Judith Bailey was spotted in distress while snorkeling in a lagoon at the popular sandy beach on June 19, authorities said. After being pulled onto the sand, Bailey was reportedly “conscious and alert,” but she later died at a nearby hospital. The cause of death is still pending, Kauai police say.
Another snorkeling-related fatality happened on June 1, when a San Jose couple was honeymooning in Oahu. Stephen Phan, 49, was found in critical condition by authorities after snorkeling at Electric Beach with his wife Brittany. In a tragic scene, the newlyweds’ belongings and rental car were stolen as Phan was receiving CPR on the sand.
“As if this could not be worse, all of Brittany and Steven’s belongings were stolen,” friend of the couple Michell Rankin wrote in a GoFundMe set up after the death. “… The loss of Steven Phan is absolutely devastating.”
A third death of a California tourist on the islands happened on June 9 on Kauai’s North Shore. Sonoma resident Lucas Ivor, 37, was found “face down in the water” at Tunnels Beach while on a family trip. Ivor was reportedly seen waving for help, but he was unresponsive by the time a bystander swam out to help him. Ivor was rushed to Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital in Kapaa, but attempts to save his life failed.
Poipu Beach, Kauai, Hawaii.
Douglas Peebles/Corbis via Getty ImagesDrowning is far and away the leading cause of death for tourists in Hawaii.
The state’s Department of Health data shows that between 2009 and 2018, over 45% of tourist deaths on the islands were due to drowning. The second most frequent cause of death was motor vehicle accidents, at around 10%. Snorkeling deaths specifically have seen a sharp increase in recent years. The data shows that of 206 snorkeling-related deaths over that decade, 189 were non-residents.
“We are saddened to report this death of another visitor,” Kauai police Captain Kennison Nagahisa said in a statement regarding Bailey’s death. “We remind the public to be aware of your surroundings and your abilities in the water.”