As Tourists Return, Hawaii Is Looking At New Ways To Keep Them Safe In The Ocean civilbeat.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from civilbeat.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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With the sound of whale song filling the water, Elias (foreground) and Trevor Schutt snorkel on a clear-water day at Wailea Friday.
The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
WAILUKU Health officials and researchers behind a recent study that could link a pulmonary condition to snorkel-related deaths are trying to learn more about the causes behind the fatalities, especially in Maui, which has seen more drownings than other islands.
“There were more fatal and nonfatal drownings from snorkeling in Maui than any other island, by large margins,” state Department of Health epidemiologist Daniel Galanis said via email, referencing statistics from 2009-2018. “This was surprising to me, as Maui has only around 60 percent of the visitor days as Oahu, over the same period of time.”