By Staff Reports
(Kauai)– The Ocean Safety Bureau announced a pilot program to have a roving ocean rescue team visit various beaches along the North Shore.
Every Wednesday, starting this week, a team of two to three lifeguards, equipped with a 4×4 truck, a jet ski and a trailer, will be patrolling north shore beaches to assist with ocean rescues and prevention efforts, essentially acting as a mobile lifeguard tower.
As part of the test program, Ocean Safety officials will collect data on the types and number of incidents that occur. The data collected will help to determine the need for additional resources, warning signs, or potential locations for a permanent lifeguard tower.
The goal of this project is to reduce response times for ocean rescues and expand our resources to other beaches, said Kalani Vierra, head of the Ocean Safety Bureau. Ideally, as we grow our team, we hope to expand this program to include more beaches on more days, and possibly continue the program indefinitely.
The project will continue every Wednesday at the following north shore beaches until further notice: ‘Anini, Kalihiwai, Kç’ç, Larsons, Lumaha’i, and Kahili. As hazardous ocean conditions change with the seasons, the crew will move to beaches along the east and south shores.
It is important that the public understands that our team will only be out on Wednesdays for the time being and will be moving between beaches, added Vierra. We dont want people to expect to see lifeguards at the same beach every week, at least not until a set schedule is in place.
For more information on this pilot program, please contact the Ocean Safety Bureau at 241-4984.
For up-to-date information about ocean conditions, please speak to a county lifeguard, log onto www.kauaiexplorer.com, or call 241-4984.