MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII -- Around 9:30 a.m. the call came in over the radio at the Waterfront Operations command deck Aug. 9. The caller said two boats had collided in the bay near Coconut Island leaving four passengers stranded in the water. The location of the wreck, severity of the injuries and time of the collision were unknown.
Waterfront Ops was quick to respond. Two boats were dispatched into Kaneohe Bay to search for the location of the wreck and rescue the passengers. The Federal Fire Department here and its team of paramedics were also contacted and on standby to take in any or all of the passengers rescued.
The site of the wreckage was spotted within 10 minutes of the call. The driver of the rescue boat deployed a small team of Navy rescue swimmers to assess the casualties and bring them aboard.
The swimmers quickly noticed the victims were suffering from a variety of injuries. Two were unconscious, one with a major head trauma. The other two were awake, but suffering from a broken leg and a puncture wound.
The two unresponsive passengers were quickly brought on board and given the immediate care they required. The team of swimmers quickly plunged back into the water to rescue the others who were crying out in agony.
The second boat arrived on the scene soon after and assisted with the rescue operation. As both boats were conducting the search and rescue, another obstacle was thrown into the equation. The boats were now drifting dangerously close to the coral reefs by the shore, which would have caused them to get stuck and require a rescue operation themselves.
Fortunately, the boats were able to avoid the reefs and quickly rushed the victims back to the docks where the paramedics were standing by with stretchers to get them off the boats and an ambulance to rush them to a local hospital as needed.
“We are there to provide any type of medical assistance Waterfront Ops may need,” said Jason K. Montgomery, acting captain, Federal Fire Department here.
Although this was just a training exercise conducted as a collaborative effort by Waterfront Ops and the Federal Fire Department here, this scenario plays out more often than the two units would like.
According to Marc B. Tinaz, officer-in-charge, Waterfront Operations Ensign, a search and rescue operation occurs about once every ten days in Kaneohe Bay.
Tinaz has decided to implement a training regimen that will require the Sailors of Waterfront Operations to conduct a new search and rescue operation once a month.
“These exercises will allow us to train and be more proficient in our search and rescue capabilities,” said Tinaz, who added that his team of Navy swimmers are considered a valuable asset for both the Coast Guard and Honolulu Rescue for the Kaneohe Bay area.
Tinaz admitted the training exercise went well except for a few shortcomings.
“Timing is critical,” said Tinaz. “It should take less than 10 minutes to arrive anywhere in the bay.”
He said he was pleased with the communication between the boats and the command deck throughout the exercise and with the treatment of the victims.
Tinaz explained to his Sailors during the exercise debrief, he wanted them to pay more attention to the details.
“It’s the little things that can eat us up,” he said.