Coming to Hawaii? Be Careful!

You may have read about Amanda Eller. She’s a local resident who went off for an afternoon hike, became disoriented, got lost, and was finally rescued … seventeen days later.

The only thing unusual about this story is that she was able to survive for more than two weeks before being rescued. The insidious thing about these islands is that they look benign, but their natural beauty lulls people, especially tourists, into not seeing the dangers.

It’s not uncommon for hikers to get lost here. In fact, Amanda Eller was typical, despite the fact that she’s a Maui resident. She’s athletic, experienced . . . and still she got into trouble and was literally within a few hours of dying. Without a doubt, someone lacking her resolve and her good health would never have made it.

Even so, it was very, very lucky that she was spotted from a helicopter flying several miles from the area where the search was focusing.                                                                                                                       

Then, literally minutes after Amanda was delivered to the hospital, rescue crews were called to look for a young man who was lost somewhere in Iao Valley. And a day later, a 60-year-old male tourist from California was fatally attacked by a shark while swimming off of Kaanapali.

Coming to Hawaii? Great! But be careful. In fact, be extra careful. We’d hate to lose you.