[1]Accessibility statement[2]Skip to main content

[1]Accessibility statement[2]Skip to main content
(BUTTON)
[3]Democracy Dies in Darkness
[4]Sign in
[5]Skip to main content
Detours with locals. Travel tips you can trust.
(BUTTON)
Democracy Dies in Darkness
[6]Travel: By The Way[7]Destinations [8]News [9]Tips [10]Newsletter
[11]Instagram
[12]Travel: By The Way[13]Destinations [14]News [15]Tips [16]Newsletter
[17]Instagram

Tourists follow GPS, drive car into Hawaii harbor

A witness captured video as bystanders rescued the driver from the sinking
van

By [18]Natalie B. Compton
May 2, 2023 at 8:18 p.m. EDT
(Illustration by Katty Huertas/The Washington Post; iStock)
Listen
4 min
(BUTTON) Comment on this storyComment
Gift Article
Share

It was a normal Saturday on Hawaii’s Big Island for resident Christie
Hutchinson and her husband, Sean. They had spent the day sailing on
their boat, the Nanea, with their friends. It had started to rain, but
they were about to haul the boat out of Honokohau Small Boat Harbor in
the town of Kailua-Kona. Then a Dodge Caravan rolled down the boat
ramp.
Get the full experience.Choose your plan

“I was just sitting there trying to seek shelter from the rain, and
then the next thing, I saw a car drive directly past our boat straight
into the harbor at a pretty decent speed,” Hutchinson said. “It was so
confidently done, they didn’t have a look of panic on their face. They
were still smiling.”
Witnesses said two tourists took a wrong turn on April 29 and followed
their GPS straight into Honokohau Harbor in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
(Video: Christie Hutchinson via Storyful)

Hutchinson started filming a [19]video of the incident with her phone
as the tourists, who she says were two sisters, were already headlights
deep in the gray harbor water, their windshield wipers still wiping. In
the video, as rain continues to fall, you can hear Hutchinson ask
aloud, “What ... is going on?” followed by “pretty sure that was not
supposed to happen.”

[20]Sailboat crew rescued in Pacific after abandoning ship sunk by
whale

The driver of the sinking car is shown sitting with her seat belt on.
The front-seat passenger crawls out of her window and wades to shore,
while the driver unbuckles her seat belt and tries to climb out of her
window. Several men, including Sean Hutchinson, dive into the water and
toss ropes and a buoy to attach to the van. Eventually Sean Hutchinson
helps the driver from the car and carries her to the ramp.

“She mentioned she’s got a heart condition, and that’s why it took her
so long to get out of the water,” Hutchinson said.
Advertisement

It didn’t surprise Hutchinson that her husband jumped in to help.

“He’s grown up in water his whole life surfing. He’s worked at boat
docks,” she said. “I feel like that’s a natural response for him, so I
was very proud.”

[21]A local's guide to Honolulu

After the rescue, Hutchinson said, the tourists mentioned they had been
following their GPS to find a manta ray tour. Seeing the Hutchinsons’
car parked on the ramp, ready to pull their boat out of the water, may
have confused the driver. No matter the reason, the car was doomed
shortly after making contact with the water. In the 4 minute and 26
second video, the car disappears below the surface. Hutchinson said the
rescuers anchored the van so it wouldn’t float farther into the harbor
and be a danger to boats. It was hauled out a few hours later by a tow
crews, HawaiiNewsNow [22]reported.
Advertisement

“It’s not the first time, and it probably won’t be the last,” said
Ashley, a staff member of [23]Manta Ray Dives of Hawaii, which operates
from Honokohau. (She spoke on the condition of anonymity to maintain
her privacy.) “Usually it’s more at night when it happens ... but this
was a little bit before sunset so there was still plenty of daylight.”

[24]Zoo seeks ‘outgoing’ workers to wear eagle costume and scare
seagulls

The tourists were not Manta Ray Dives customers, Ashley said, but three
of the company’s employees were part of Saturday’s rescue, helping
provide equipment to the volunteers from other tour operators in the
water. Honokohau Small Boat Harbor, which is on the west coast of the
Big Island of Hawaii, is home to several tours, including
whale-watching excursions, scuba diving trips and catamaran charters.

While such accidents may have happened before at Honokohau, Samantha
Tavares, information specialist for Hawaii’s Department of
Transportation, said it’s “kind of rare” statewide.
Advertisement

“Usually GPS is pretty accurate in Hawaii,” she said. “It’s not exactly
normal for that to happen.”

Ellen Edmonds, the director of external communications for AAA, said
the federation does not have data on how often this type of incident
occurs. But “based on our research, AAA strongly recommends having a
vehicle escape tool in the event of an emergency,” Edmonds said in an
email.

Car windows are made with either tempered or laminated glass, and
[25]standard escape tools can’t break the latter. It’s a good idea to
know which your car has and have an exit strategy in case of an
emergency. You could even test whether your escape tool works properly
before driving. One way to do so is by tapping it against a piece of
wood to see if it leaves an indent.

If you do get trapped in a car, Edmonds said, remember AAA’s
[26]S-U-R-E way out acronym: stay calm; unbuckle seat belts; roll down
or break a window; and exit the vehicle quickly and move to safety.

Tavares also offered advice for tourists driving in Hawaii: “If you see
a body of water, don’t drive towards it.”
(BUTTON) Comments
(BUTTON)
Gift Article
(BUTTON) View more

TOP STORIES
Travel
Local guides, travel tips and the latest industry news
It’s the summer of concerts — and fans don’t care how much they cost
Las Vegas maid stole $768,000 in jewelry from hotel room, police say
Perspective|In defense of tourist traps
Try a different topic
[27]Sign in or [28]create a free account to save your preferences

Company
* [29]About The Post
* [30]Newsroom Policies & Standards
* [31]Diversity and Inclusion
* [32]Careers
* [33]Media & Community Relations
* [34]WP Creative Group
* [35]Accessibility Statement

Get The Post
*
*
* [36]Gift Subscriptions
* [37]Mobile & Apps
* [38]Newsletters & Alerts
* [39]Washington Post Live
* [40]Reprints & Permissions
* [41]Post Store
* [42]Books & E-Books
* [43]Newspaper in Education
* [44]Print Archives (Subscribers Only)
* [45]Today’s Paper
* [46]Public Notices

Contact Us
* [47]Contact the Newsroom
* [48]Contact Customer Care
* [49]Contact the Opinions team
* [50]Advertise
* [51]Licensing & Syndication
* [52]Request a Correction
* [53]Send a News Tip
* [54]Report a Vulnerability

Terms of Use
* [55]Digital Products Terms of Sale
* [56]Print Products Terms of Sale
* [57]Terms of Service
* [58]Privacy Policy
* [59]Cookie Settings
* [60]Submissions & Discussion Policy
* [61]RSS Terms of Service
* [62]Ad Choices

[63]washingtonpost.com © 1996-2023 The Washington Post
* [64]washingtonpost.com
* © 1996-2023 The Washington Post
* [65]About The Post
* [66]Contact the Newsroom
* [67]Contact Customer Care
* [68]Request a Correction
* [69]Send a News Tip
* [70]Report a Vulnerability
* [71]Download the Washington Post App
* [72]Policies & Standards
* [73]Terms of Service
* [74]Privacy Policy
* [75]Cookie Settings
* [76]Print Products Terms of Sale
* [77]Digital Products Terms of Sale
* [78]Submissions & Discussion Policy
* [79]RSS Terms of Service
* [80]Ad Choices

IFRAME: [81]https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-WHNNX8B

References

Visible links
1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/accessibility
2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2023/05/02/hawaii-tourists-car-sink-harbor/#main-content
3. https://www.washingtonpost.com/
4. https://www.washingtonpost.com/subscribe/signin/?next_url=&nid=top_pb_signin&arcId=LA3PMXQ55JF55JXMCSRFKPWP6U&account_location=ONSITE_HEADER_ARTICLE&itid=nav_sign_in
5. https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2023/05/02/hawaii-tourists-car-sink-harbor/#main-content
6. https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/?itid=sn_travel: by the way_title
7. https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/guides/
8. https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/news/
9. https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/
10. https://www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/by-the-way/?itid=sn_travel: by the way_4/
11. https://www.instagram.com/bytheway/?itid=sn_travel: by the way_5/
12. https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/?itid=sn_travel: by the way_title
13. https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/guides/
14. https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/news/
15. https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/
16. https://www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/by-the-way/?itid=sn_travel: by the way_4/
17. https://www.instagram.com/bytheway/?itid=sn_travel: by the way_5/
18. https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/natalie-b-compton/?itid=ai_top_comptonn
19. https://www.instagram.com/p/CrpnmNyAqRy/
20. https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2023/03/20/sailboat-hits-whale-pacific-rescue/?itid=lk_interstitial_manual_7
21. https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/united-states/honolulu-local-guide/?itid=lk_interstitial_manual_15
22. https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2023/05/02/tourists-mistakenly-drive-suv-into-hawaii-island-harbor/?outputType=amp
23. https://www.mantaraydiveshawaii.com/
24. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/04/29/blackpool-zoo-job-seagull-deterrent/?itid=lk_interstitial_manual_20
25. https://newsroom.aaa.com/2019/07/vehicle-escape-tools-testing/
26. https://newsroom.aaa.com/2019/07/vehicle-escape-tools-testing/
27. https://www.washingtonpost.com/subscribe/signin/index.html
28. https://www.washingtonpost.com/subscribe/signup/index.html
29. https://www.washingtonpost.com/about-the-post/
30. https://www.washingtonpost.com/policies-and-standards/
31. https://washingtonpost.com/about-the-post/workforce-demographics/
32. https://careers.washingtonpost.com/
33. https://www.washingtonpost.com/public-relations/
34. https://www.washingtonpost.com/brand-studio/archive/
35. https://www.washingtonpost.com/accessibility/
36. https://subscribe.washingtonpost.com/acquisition/?p=g_v&s_l=ONSITE_FOOTER_GIFT
37. https://subscription.washingtonpost.com/mobile/
38. https://washingtonpost.com/newsletters/
39. https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/
40. https://www.washingtonpost.com/reprints-permissions/
41. https://store.washingtonpost.com/
42. https://www.washingtonpost.com/photos-books/
43. https://nie.washingtonpost.com/
44. https://search.proquest.com/?accountid=189667
45. https://www.washingtonpost.com/todays_paper/updates
46. https://www.washingtonpost.com/classifieds
47. https://helpcenter.washingtonpost.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002940991-Leadership-of-The-Washington-Post-newsroom
48. https://helpcenter.washingtonpost.com/hc/en-us/
49. https://helpcenter.washingtonpost.com/hc/en-us/articles/360004745292-Leadership-of-The-Washington-Post-Opinions-section
50. https://www.washingtonpost.com/mediakit/
51. https://www.washingtonpost.com/syndication/
52. https://helpcenter.washingtonpost.com/hc/en-us/articles/115003675928-Submit-a-correction
53. https://www.washingtonpost.com/anonymous-news-tips/
54. https://www.washingtonpost.com/discussions/2021/05/13/vulnerability-disclosure-policy/
55. https://www.washingtonpost.com/information/2022/06/17/terms-sale-digital-products/
56. https://www.washingtonpost.com/information/2020/11/20/terms-sale-print-products/
57. https://www.washingtonpost.com/information/2022/01/01/terms-of-service/
58. https://www.washingtonpost.com/privacy-policy/
59. https://www.washingtonpost.com/cookie-policy/
60. https://www.washingtonpost.com/discussions/2021/11/23/discussion-submission-guidelines/
61. https://www.washingtonpost.com/discussions/2021/01/01/rss-terms-service/
62. https://www.washingtonpost.com/information/2022/01/01/ad-choices/
63. https://www.washingtonpost.com/
64. https://www.washingtonpost.com/
65. https://www.washingtonpost.com/about-the-post/
66. https://helpcenter.washingtonpost.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002940991-Leadership-of-The-Washington-Post-newsroom
67. https://helpcenter.washingtonpost.com/hc/en-us
68. https://helpcenter.washingtonpost.com/hc/en-us/articles/115003675928-Submit-a-correction
69. https://www.washingtonpost.com/anonymous-news-tips/
70. https://www.washingtonpost.com/discussions/2021/05/13/vulnerability-disclosure-policy/
71. https://wapo.onelink.me/e76N/8081805d
72. https://www.washingtonpost.com/policies-and-standards/
73. https://www.washingtonpost.com/terms-of-service/2011/11/18/gIQAldiYiN_story.html
74. https://www.washingtonpost.com/privacy-policy/2011/11/18/gIQASIiaiN_story.html
75. https://www.washingtonpost.com/cookie-policy/
76. https://www.washingtonpost.com/terms-of-sale-for-print-products/2014/05/08/d60c4bc8-d6c0-11e3-aae8-c2d44bd79778_story.html
77. https://www.washingtonpost.com/information/2022/06/17/terms-sale-digital-products/
78. https://www.washingtonpost.com/discussions/2021/11/23/discussion-submission-guidelines/
79. https://www.washingtonpost.com/rss-terms-of-service/2012/01/16/gIQAadFYAQ_story.html
80. https://www.washingtonpost.com/how-can-i-opt-out-of-online-advertising-cookies/2011/11/18/gIQABECbiN_story.html
81. https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-WHNNX8B

Hidden links:
83. https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/?itid=sn_btw_main-logo
84. https://subscribe.washingtonpost.com/acquisition/?promo=o24_ma&p=s_v&s_l=ONSITE_ARTICLE_MODULE&e=PREVIEW-CHOOSE-PLAN?itid=lk_cta_ssinline
85. https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2023/06/03/summer-concert-travel-swift-beyonce-springsteen/?itid=cp_CP-17_1
86. https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2023/06/01/vegas-maid-steals-jewelry-rolex-watch/?itid=cp_CP-17_2
87. https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/tourist-traps-travel/?itid=cp_CP-17_3