Last week a tour vessel was swept sideways by heavy surf while attempting to transit into a small harbour in Honolulu, sending the boat off course and causing it to ground.
The 75-foot passenger vessel Discovery was inbounded for the Kewalo Basin, a small-craft harbour about 1500 yards southeast of the main Honolulu Harbour entrance.
Unusually tall waves of 10 to 12 feet were rolling towards the beach, and a high surf advisory was in effect, indicating hazardous conditions for the unprepared.
In these conditions, Discovery – which had only two crew members aboard, and no passengers – attempted to make the run through the narrow channel into the harbour.
Like a fishing boat trying to cross a bar, Discovery got overtaken by a wave, which lifted it and carried it forward. The vessel then veered sharply to starboard and ended up broadside-to as the wave broke – a life-threatening outcome for a smaller vessel. Luckily, the Discovery was large and stable enough that it did not capsize.
The Coast Guard Sector Honolulu received a report that Discovery had gone aground on the reef, just 60 feet outside of the harbour. The vessel lost propulsion in the grounding, the master reported.
A USCG response boat could not reach the site because of the shallow water and rough surf, but jet ski crews from Honolulu Ocean Safety soon arrived on scene to respond. They found that the master and crew member aboard Discovery were uninjured.
A tug from Cates Marine arrived at the scene and tried to pull the Discovery off the reef. The boat’s deck cleats failed, and the operation was halted.
Discovery eventually drifted up against a nearby seawall near the harbor entrance, enabling salvage and cleanup. Response crews had removed all the vessel’s accessible diesel, oil and batteries. No pollution was reported.
The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the grounding, and state officials are overseeing the vessel’s salvage.
“The safe removal of a large, grounded vessel is a complex undertaking that requires careful coordination and planning,” said Coast Guard Sector Honolulu, chief of Prevention, Commander Daniel Brahan.
“We ask that beach goers and boaters keep a safe distance from the Discovery as salvage operations continue.”