June 23, 2023
Judith Bailey, age 77 of California, was pronounced dead after being pulled from the water at Kauai’s Poipu Beach Park on Monday, June 19th, 2023, reports the County of Kauai.
According to a Kauai Fire Department report, at approximately 11:30 am Ocean Safety Bureau personnel noticed a woman (Bailey) in distress in the lagoon area at Poipu Beach Park and pulled her from the water. When firefighters arrived from the Koloa fire station, Bailey was conscious and alert.
American Medical Response took over the incident and medics transported Bailey to the Wilcox Medical Center, where she later passed. Autopsy results are still pending.
Statistically, Poipu Beach sees the highest number of deaths of any beach on Kauai. The high number of deaths are attributable, in our experience, to older visitors who become distressed in the water due to either fatigue or a medical emergency/condition. Our advice, especially for older visitors to Kauai, is to swim/snorkel with a partner and not get into a situation that could lead to excessive physical exertion.
Before this incident, the last water-related death took place on June 10th, 2023, at Makua Beach (Tunnels Beach). The Kauai Fire Department urges visitors and residents to visit beaches where lifeguards are present, and to utilize caution when entering the water.