A father and son visiting from Utah, ages 48 and 22, were rescued at Queen’s Bath in Princeville, Kauai on Thursday Morning, April 21st, 2022, reports the County of Kauai.
First responders were dispatched to a report of two people in distress at Queen’s Bath at approximately 8:45 AM.
Hanalei firefighters, American Medical Response, Rescue 3 aboard Air 1, and lifeguards with the North Roving Patrol Unit responded to the incident.
According to preliminary reports from Ocean Safety Bureau personnel, the two visitors were swept into waters off Queen’s Bath. A bystander took action and threw a rescue tube at the father and son. Shortly after, lifeguards from the North Roving Patrol Unit located the swimmers and transported them to the Hanalei boat ramp.
The father and son suffered scrapes and were later tended to by medics. They later declined transport to a local hospital.
The access gate to Queen’s Bath has been closed to the public since October 2021 for the high surf winter season. The gate remains closed until further notice. Unfortunately, it is very easy to go around the fence and gate and Queen’s Bath sees a steady stream of visitors daily.
“I’m thankful for the response of the bystander who threw the rescue tube, our OSB personnel who were on the scene quickly, and our firefighters who coordinated this rescue,” said Kauai Fire Department Chief Steven Goble. “These two visitors are fortunate to leave with their lives when so many others at Queen’s Bath have not.”
Queen’s Bath is a notoriously dangerous location on Kauai. Numerous injuries and fatalities have occurred at Queen’s Bath, including a 23-year-old woman from California who was swept off the rocks by powerful waves in December 2018 and drowned. The area is especially dangerous in winter months but dangerous waves can happen at any time of the year at Queen’s Bath.
Developed and maintained by the Kauai Lifeguard Association with many generous sponsors and dedicated on-site maintainers, the rescue tube program has been on Kauai for over a decade and has been instrumental in over 150 reported rescues and countless unseen incidents.
Rescue tubes are personal flotation devices designed to protect rescuers and stabilize distressed swimmers before rescue by lifeguards becomes available, according to the Kauai Lifeguard Association. There are over 200 rescue tubes around Kauai – many of which are at beaches without lifeguard supervision.
Leave a comment