A Honolulu City Council committee will consider a resolution Tuesday asking聽the state Board of Land and Natural Resources to ban alcohol and disorderly behavior at holiday聽鈥渇loatillas鈥 off Waikiki Beach, as the state has done for similar events on the Kaneohe Bay sandbar.
鈥淔loatillas鈥 tend to be spontaneously organized on social media and occur on long weekends, the University of Hawaii鈥檚 spring break, and holidays like the Fourth of July or Memorial Day. Partiers聽gather offshore in inflatable water floats, boats, kayaks and other watercraft.
Thousands of people attended such an event on the Fourth of July, and hundreds required rescue services, authorities said.
was introduced by Councilman Trevor Ozawa, whose district includes Waikiki. It will be heard Tuesday by聽the Committee on Public Health, Safety and Welfare, chaired by Councilman Brandon Elefante.
The resolution calls for the BLNR, which sets policy to be enforced by Department of Land and Natural Resources, to pass rules banning 鈥渁lcohol use and disorderly conduct鈥 at 鈥渇loatillas.鈥 Crowds of people in the ocean, confined to a 鈥渓imited recreational space 鈥 pose significant public safety concerns,鈥 the resolution says.
Ozawa did not return a call requesting comment on his resolution Thursday, but he sent an聽email saying that he introduced the resolution “to address public health and safety concerns raised by the residents and businesses of Waikiki.”
The councilman聽said the risk to participants, visitors and local beachgoers could be minimized through regulations and the prohibition of alcohol on busy holidays.
If passed by the committee, the resolution would be considered by the full council.
It聽cites the most recent 鈥渇loatilla鈥 July 4, where at least 10 people ages 17 to 26 were hospitalized in serious condition because of alcohol-related injuries. A 19-year-old woman was hospitalized in critical condition due to intoxication.
About 8,000 to 10,000 people attended the event, lifeguards said. Medical technicians treated more than 20 people, according to the resolution.
Four city lifeguard jet ski crews 鈥 twice the normal amount 鈥 worked overtime with the help of 14 Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement officers and two U.S. Coast Guard boat patrols.
On the Fourth of July last year, 300 鈥渇loatilla鈥 participants required rescue services, authorities said.
鈥淒espite the efforts of DOCARE officers on jet skis who warned event participants of applicable boating rules and the dangers of underage alcohol use, intoxicated persons under 21 years of age were among those requiring emergency services,鈥 the resolution said.
The resolution points to by the BLNR at the Kaneohe Bay sandbar, or Ahu o Laka Island, and calls for similar laws to be enacted in the island鈥檚 tourist hub.
The sandbar regulations define a 鈥渟afety zone鈥 with a set of geographic coordinates and prohibit the possession, use and consumption of alcohol on Labor Day and Memorial Day weekends. Alcohol is also prohibited on the Fourth of July and, if it falls on a Monday or Friday, the entire holiday weekend.
The rules prohibit people from being rowdy, violent, unreasonably聽loud, and聽under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Ozawa’s resolution said families feel safer bringing their children to the sandbar since the regulations were adopted and the DLNR reports conditions have since improved.
Though the resolution doesn鈥檛 mention the messes left behind, 鈥渇loatillas鈥 have also become notorious for trash, and abandoned inflatable toys left ashore and in the ocean.
Ed Underwood, administrator of the DNLR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation, said he was willing to work with the city on potential regulations for Waikiki “floatillas,” but would need to talk聽with representatives of other divisions, like DOCARE, to figure out the best way to proceed.
The Kaneohe Bay sandbar regulations, which were developed after about two years of seeking public input, would be different than anything established in Waikiki, Underwood said.
While the sandbar is mostly used by local residents, Waikiki is mostly used by tourists, he said, and the day-to-day operations of Waikiki would need to be considered if any rules were to be drafted.
Normally, Underwood said are required for ocean events. 鈥淔loatilla鈥 events aren鈥檛 very organized, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 more like everybody come hang out together,鈥 he said. It鈥檚 difficult to find organizers of 鈥渇loatillas鈥 since they tend to originate on social media, he said.
鈥淚t is an issue that we鈥檝e already been looking at,鈥 he said.
The Coast Guard’s main concern at “floatillas” is to ensure the safety of participants, said spokeswoman聽Amanda Levasseur. When flotation devices are left unattended, rescue workers don’t know if they’re dealing with missing people or just abandoned floats, she said.
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