27 drowning deaths have led to a new sign warning of the dangers of Wailuku River in Hilo

The view of Peʻepeʻe Falls and the flowing Wailuku River was clear on Friday morning as community members gathered at the look-out over Boiling Pots in Hilo for a blessing of much-needed sign that warns visitors and residents of the dangers of the water.

In the past 29 years, 27 people ranging in age from 14 to 80 plus have reportedly drowned at either Boiling Pots or Rainbow Falls in the Wailuku River State Park.

The last fatality at Boiling Pots occurred in September, when the body of a 42-year-old visitor from Florida was recovered in 30 feet of water, prompting Hawaiʻi County Councilmember Jenn Kagiwada to take action. Two months later, she hosted a town hall meeting on Zoom to discuss enhanced signage intended to keep would-be swimmers out of the Wailuku River waters.

The new sign warns visitors: “Do not go beyond this point” and lists the month and year each victim drowned in the area. It is modeled after a sign that was installed in 2022 at an Oʻahu hiking spot, Olomana trail, where six hikers fell to their deaths on the trail in the last 13 years. Since the sign went up two years ago, there have been no further fatalities, and only one fall.

After living seven houses away from Boiling Pots for nearly 50 years, Jeri Gertz has seen how important and necessary a new sign is for the area.

“I have seen helicopters fly up and down the river searching for the missing people and unfortunately, they are often found under the water right below our property,” Gertz said. “It is a tragedy every time someone goes missing. And I do think this new sign will help visitors understand why these other signs are not welcoming.”

The park features the 80-foot-tall Rainbow Falls and Boiling Pots, an area about 1.5 miles farther upstream with more waterfalls and pools, luring hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

While the county has other signs warning people not to trek down to the water, many visitors — and residents — ignore them and make their way down the hill for a closer look. 

Stemming from the eastern slopes of Mauna Kea, the Wailuku River has spent thousands of years eroding the lava underneath the water to create Boiling Pots. With an average of 275-million gallons of moving water every day, the river has lived up to the name of Wailuku, which means “waters of destruction” in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.

Many visitors don’t know exactly what Boiling Pots is or the magnitude of the danger, Gertz said. She and her late husband, Jim Kauahikaua, would often ask the county to implement different measures that would help visitors understand, but she said red tape stood in the way.

“There have been people who think these are hot springs because of the name and believe that these other signs are just about trespassing and not safety,” Gertz said. “My husband did end up writing one of the signs at the overlook that describes what this area is and why it’s dangerous. It was easy for him to put time into it because he cared so much.”

Boiling Pots does not have hot water. It got its name because on calm days, it looks like individual pots of water. And when the water is turbulent, it appears to be boiling.

Over the years, Gertz has asked the county to remove the vegetation obstructing the view of Boiling Pots since some visitors go down to the river to get a better view.

“This is the first time in six years you can see everything below you and hopefully they can maintain it more,” Gertz said.

Even if the water appears calm, heavy rain upstream can cause sudden surges of water, making swimming extremely dangerous. When the water is low, the river does not flow over some of the pot rims, but it continues to flow through them. Underwater currents that can’t be seen from the surface can drag someone down and trap them in a lava tube.  

Deaths have occurred almost equally from those who are visitors and locals, and some of those were strong swimmers and even elite athletes or lifeguards, Kagiwada said.

Even on calm days, swimmers have drowned due to strong currents and the underwater geology of tunnels, ridges and shelves that can trap people.

“The hope in creating this new signage is to encourage those who visit these scenic areas to be mindful of the dangers that exist,” Kagiwada said. “And honor the memories of those who have died, by not entering the water.”