City Councilwoman Jenn Kagiwada is hosting a public Zoom meeting to discuss improving signage to prevent would-be swimmers from entering state park waters along the Wailuku River in Hilo.

This meeting is scheduled for Monday at 5 p.m.

The two state parks, Rainbow Falls and Boiling Pots, are popular swimming spots for locals and visitors. But Wailuku – which means “waters of destruction” in Hawaiian – can be dangerous, even if it seems harmless.

The two national parks have been the site of 27 drowning deaths over the past 29 years. Deaths occurred almost as much among visitors as among locals, and some of them were strong swimmers and even elite athletes or lifeguards.

The age of the deceased was only 14 years old and the oldest was 80 years old.

The latest drowning death was that of Stanley Walker II, 42, of Pensacola, Fla., who disappeared Sept. 17 under the current at Boiling Pots. Walker was a member of Norwegian Cruise Lines’ Pride of America crew.

Walker was not the only member of the Pride of America crew to perish in the Wailuku. Ryan Ritzel, 24, of Santa Clara, California, drowned in April 2010 at the base of Pe’epe’e Falls in Boiling Pots after rains caused the river to swell.

Kagiwada said authorities would contact officials at cruise lines whose ships dock here “just to make sure they know it’s not a safe place for swimming.”

“And I think, maybe, after that last person dies there, maybe they’ll be a little more aware,” she said.

According to Kagiwada, the Hawaii State Parks Division is developing additional signage to discourage people from entering the water. The signs indicate the dates people died in the area and warn would-be swimmers: “Do not go beyond this point.”

The new sign was modeled after one that was installed in 2022 at a popular Windward Oahu hiking spot, the Olomana Trail.

Six hikers have died on the trail in the past 13 years. Since the sign was installed two years ago, there have been no deaths and only one fall.

While Wailuku River Parks is state-run and Kagiwada is a county legislator, she hosts the online forum “just to get feedback on it and let people know.”

“I have received several calls and emails over the last few years regarding people concerned about this area, particularly people who live in this area and see the emergency helicopters searching and the vehicles. They know it’s very dangerous,” Kagiwada said Friday.

“I go to Boiling Pots almost every day myself,” she added. “I live in the neighborhood and I see people going down to swim. We know that it was not only tourists and visitors, but also locals who died there. So we thought it was really important to act.

Another county official who believes it’s important is Fire Chief Kazuo Todd.

“We advocate good signage,” Todd said. “I think the biggest problem and the problem we’re seeing is that people go swimming when it’s raining upstream in the mountains. It can be a beautiful sunny day, but when it rains in the mountains, currents and conditions can change quickly.

Todd recalled the 2018 drowning of Kelly Mrowinski, a travel nurse from Chicago. Mrowinski, who had been in Hawaii for about a month, went hiking with a friend above Piihonua Falls on Jan. 26, 2018, when a flash flood occurred and swept them both into the Wailuku.

The man managed to swim to safety, but Mrowinski was caught in the current. Searchers were unable to find his body, which was found downstream in Hilo nearly a month later.

“His drowning was one of the reasons we insisted on having drones so we could do searches with the heat sensor cameras and so on,” Todd said. “That would have been helpful in conducting this research.”

“Obviously, it is the responsibility of the Hawaii Fire Department to step in and save people if we can – and if we can’t, return the found body to the family with as much dignity as possible .”

Todd said firefighters are now equipped with drones to help augment aerial searches conducted by county helicopters, which can only fly during daylight hours.

“We’ve actually sent the drone team out for a few of our more recent rescues, but it’s still not exactly where I want it to be,” the chief said. “We are looking to expand our use of drones. It’s the future. We are considering cable-powered drones that hook onto our vehicles.

Todd said there is “never a reason not to have good signage informing people of the dangers they face on a beach or in a river”.

Kagiwada said she hopes those who come across the signs will read them, stay out of the water in those locations and “find another safer place.”

Those interested can register for the Zoom meeting at or contact the Kagiwada office at (808) 961-8272 with any questions.

Email John Burnett at [email protected].