Tannya: YOU MAY FIND THIS
HARD TO BELIEVE BUT SNORKELING
IS A LEADING CAUSE OF DROWNING
TO VISITORS TO HAWAII.
John: THAT IS ONE OF THE
FINDINGS AT A SNORKEL SAFETY
STUDY THAT AIMS TO SAVE LIVES.
WE'RE TALKING TODAY WITH CAROL
WILCOX WITH A STUDY THAT COULD
SAVE SOME LIVES.
THE SNORKEL SAFETY STUDY.
HI, CAROL.
THANKS FOR BEING WITH US.
APPRECIATE IT.
HI, JOHN.
THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.
John: WOULD YOU MIND TELLING
MY VIEWERS AND MYSELF ABOUT THIS
SAFETY STUDY WAS TO IDENTIFY THE
CAUSES AND RISK FACTORS
ASSOCIATED WITH SNORKEL RELATED
FATAL AND NEAR FATAL DROWNINGS.
SO WITH THIS INFORMATION WE HOPE
TO DEVELOP BETTER SAFETY
MESSAGES TO HELP SAVE LIVES.
John: ARE SNORKEL RELATED
DEATHS IN HAWAII REALLY AN
ISSUE, A BIG ISSUE?
OH, IT'S A BIG ISSUE FOR
VISITORS.
IT'S THE LEADING CAUSE OF
PLENTY OF LOCALS LIKE ME GET
INTO TROUBLE AS WELL.
RECREATIONAL SNORKELING ISN'T
THE LOW-RISK ACTIVITY EVERYBODY
THINKS IT IS.
IT'S NOT UNUSUAL TO FIND A
SNORKEL MOTIONLESS IN CALM
POSITIONS AND NOT VERY LONG
AFTER ENTERING THE WATER AND
OFTEN THERE ARE NO SIGNS OF
DISTRESS.
DROWNINGS.
PEOPLE CAN HELP BY TAKING OUR
SHORT SURVEY.
SO WHAT WE HAVE FOUND SO FAR IS
MYSTERY OF THE CAUSE OF THESE
MYSTERIOUS DROWNINGS AND THAT
CAUSE IS HYPOXIA CAUSED BY RAPID
ONSET PULMONARY EDEMA.
THE STUDY HAS IDENTIFIED SEVERAL
RISK FACTORS AND ONE BEING THE
LEVEL OF RESISTANCE IN THE
SNORKEL ITSELF AND ANOTHER BEING
CERTAIN HEART CONDITIONS.
IN ADDITION WE SUSPECT RECENT
PROLONGED AIR TRAVEL MAY BE A
FACTOR BUT WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE
TO VERIFY THAT.
SO WE HOPE TO GAIN MORE INSIGHT
THROUGH THE SNORKEL SAFETY
SURVEY.
John: IT'S NOT FUNNY BECAUSE
YOU WOULD THINK THAT
RECREATIONAL SNORKELING WOULD
JUST BE COMPLETELY SAFE BUT FROM
WHAT I'M UNDERSTANDING HERE IS
THAT IT'S NOT ENTIRELY SAFE AND
CAN YOU TELL ME HOW THE SURVEY
WORKS?
YES.
THE SURVEY IS FOR PEOPLE WHO
HAVE GOTTEN INTO TROUBLE WHILE
SNORKELING AND IT EXPLORES ALL
THE FACTORS SURROUNDING THAT
EVENT.
IT TAKES ABOUT 15 MINUTES AND
YOU CAN CHOOSE WHETHER OR NOT TO
IDENTIFY YOURSELF, AND THROUGH
THAT WE CAN FIND OUT WHAT THE
CAUSES WERE, WAS IT BECAUSE YOU
WEREN'T PAYING ATTENTION, WAS IT
BECAUSE YOU GOT SCARED, WAS IT
BECAUSE, AND PARTICULARLY HOW TO
DROWNINGS WHERE THERE'S NO
APPARENT CAUSE.
John: THIS HAS ACTUALLY
HAPPENED TO YOU, HASN'T IT?
YES, IT HAS.
IT WAS ABOUT 14 YEARS AGO AND I
EXHIBITED ALL THE TYPICAL
SEQUENCE OF EVENTS WHERE I HAD
SHORTNESS OF BREATH, I BECAME
VERY ANXIOUS, I LOST MOBILITY, I
LOST THE ABILITY TO MOVE AND
THEN BY THE TIME I GOT TO SHORE,
CONSCIOUSNESS AND HAD TO BE
RESCUED AND TAKEN TO THE
HOSPITAL AND IT WAS DETERMINED
THAT I HAD PULMONARY EDEMA.
HAD I DIED, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN
DIAGNOSED AS A HEART ATTACK.
BUT IT WASN'T A HEART ATTACK.
THAT'S THE DISCOVERY THAT WE'VE
MADE THAT IS SO IMPORTANT
BECAUSE IT HASN'T BEEN
DISCOVERED BEFORE.
John: THAT CERTAINLY DOES
AND IT'S QUITE ALARMING.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT
TO ADD FOR OUR VIEWERS?
THE STUDY IS A SCIENTIFIC
STUDY AND IT NEEDS TO BE
PUBLISHED IN A PEER REVIEW
JOURNAL BEFORE THE STATE
AGENCIES CAN ENDORSE IT.
AND SOMETIMES THAT CAN TAKE
YEARS, SO WE'RE USING THIS
OPPORTUNITY TO LET THE PUBLIC
KNOW WHAT WE HAVE FOUND AND TO
ENCOURAGE MORE PARTICIPATION IN
THE SURVEY BECAUSE THIS
PARTICIPATION WILL HELP SAVE
LIVES.
John: AND WE WANT TO THANK
YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR
PARTICIPATION, YOU TELLING YOUR
STORY AND TALKING TO ALL OF US
HERE AT "LIVING 808."
WE APPRECIATE YOU, CAROL.
HAVE A GOOD ONE.
THANK YOU, JOHN.
John: GREAT TIPS AND A GOOD
STUDY THAT FOUND SOMETHING VERY
IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF US BECAUSE
IT WOULD BE MISDIAGNOSED HAD IT
NOT BEEN DISCOVERED.
Tannya: IT'S TRUE.
WE LEARN SOMETHING HERE ALL THE
TIME ON "LIVING 808" BUT I WOULD
HAVE NEVER FATHOMED THAT
SNORKELING HAD SUCH A HIGH RATE
OF DROWNING DEATHS WITH OUR
VISITORS HERE.
YOU WOULD THINK IT'S A HARMLESS
ACTIVITY, EASY.
John: PRETTY SHOCKING TO
ESPECIALLY IF YOU'VE HAD THIS
HAPPEN TO YOU WHILE YOU WERE IN
THE WATER, IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR
YOU TO BE ABLE TO JUMP ON AND
TAKE THAT STUDY.
Tannya: ABSOLUTELY.