The Hawai‘i Water Safety Plan 2025
I Palekana Kakou Ma Ka Wai
(Let Us Be Safe in the Water)
The Hawai‘i Water Safety Coalition (HWSC) was formed in 2023 to create the state’s first Hawai’i Water Safety Plan — a roadmap to ensure that everyone in Hawai’i is safe in, on, and around the water. May this plan, which was inspired by the U.S. National Water Safety Action Plan and filled with recommendations from our own Hawai’i stakeholders, spur the changes that are so gravely needed to prevent drownings across our counties and our island state.
Hawai’i’s amazing waterman and waterwoman culture is not enough to keep us safe. Hawai’i is experiencing a drowning crisis, which is threatening the health of our residents and our visitor-dependent economy.
Our Kāhea. Answering the call
Inspired by the kioea, the bird whose morning call signals paddlers to sail, we aim to become “Ka manu kahea i ka wa‘a e holo” — the bird that calls the canoe to journey.
Our destination is a Hawai‘i where everyone has the skills, knowledge, and resources to stay safe in the water, making water safety accessible to all. By reconnecting with the wai and kai, we will create generational change and reduce Hawai‘i’s tragic drowning rates.
Join Us
The HWSC, which is now under the umbrella of the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association, grew out of several years of collaboration and is propelled forward by bereaved family advocates, the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation, and many other partners.
Many members have ties to Hawai‘i’s ocean-going legacy; others represent state and county government officials, visitor industry professionals, educators, water safety professionals, public health providers, medical personnel, scientists, first responders, water sports enthusiasts, cultural practitioners, and nonprofits. A few members have lost family to drowning; they work passionately to ensure that no one else in Hawai‘i must carry the drowning burden.
Come join us in our grassroots effort. We know the best approach is a kākou — us, inclusive — approach, embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion for everyone in Hawai‘i, residents and visitors alike.
