Michigan family files lawsuit against Hawaii tourism authority over snorkeling hazards after long flights – KION546

By Paul Drewes

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HONOLULU (KITV) – A Michigan family has filed a lawsuit against Hawaii’s Tourism Authority and other visitor groups for failing to warn tourists about the potential dangers of snorkeling shortly after flying.

Thousands come to Hawaii every year, and many take the time to snorkel while they’re here.

“The water is so clear here and I wanted to see what’s underneath. It was really cool, I saw baby fish,” said Karissa Weaver, a first-time snorkeler from Colorado.

Because of Hawaii’s relatively calm, protected waters at popular snorkeling spots, some visitors consider it safe.

“It depends on your equipment. If you have good equipment, it is relatively safe,” said David Urane, an experienced snorkeler from California.

Equipment can play an important role in this safety. According to the Hawaii Snorkel Safety Study, the shape and design of the snorkel can cause it to have low to high resistance to inhalation.

The higher the resistance, the greater the risk of developing Rapid Onset Pulmonary Edema, known as ROPE. This causes the lungs to fill with fluid due to the negative pressure, and people cannot absorb oxygen.

This is believed to be one of the reasons why drowning from snorkeling is the number one cause of death for visitors to the islands, more than almost all other ocean activities combined.

But unlike typical drownings where people swallow water and throw around in active distress, people suffering from ROPE may become short of breath, confused, lose strength and then lose consciousness without showing signs of distress.

“It made no sense. When I got the autopsy report it said drowning. I saw Ray come in. When you’re drowning, you don’t talk to the people around you,” said his wife Patricia.

Patricia and Ray Johnson had been to Hawaii about half a dozen times, and Ray had snorkeled the islands countless times.

“He was an accomplished swimmer and snorkeler. But in February 2022, while snorkeling off Maui, he started having trouble breathing. A friend helped him ashore, but he died on the beach,” said Johnson family attorney Jay Stuemke.

His symptoms are consistent with a ROPE drowning. The Hawaii Snorkeling Safety Study found that in addition to health problems that increase the risk of ROPE, there is also the possibility that long flights can.

Stuemke says this contributed to Ray’s death: ‘What long-haul flights do is it has an effect on your lungs. After 3 days you are back to normal, but if you snorkel after that long flight, the risk of death is significantly higher.”

Now the Johnsons are suing not only the hotel where Ray rented the snorkeling gear, but also the Hawaii Tourism Authority and the Hawaii Visitors Convention Bureau. The Johnson family believes that all of these groups knew about the dangers of snorkeling after long flights, but failed to warn visitors.

“When warnings are communicated effectively, snorkelers can make informed choices about what risks to take,” Stuemke said.

The snorkel study did not conclude that snorkeling after air travel posed the risks of ROPE, but the study stated that this could be a factor and should be further investigated. The Johnsons want every visitor to be aware of all possible risks.

“After 10 hours of flying, we had waited 72 hours. His lungs would have recovered from what living in a pressurized cabin does to your lungs,” Patricia added.

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