Flash flooding in Maui, Hawaii (or anywhere) is NO JOKE! Unaware hikers are injured and/or killed every year in Hawaii from streams that turn into raging rivers without a moment of warning. As you can see in this drone video, some friends quickly scramble to relative safety while one of their friends is swallowed by the raging torent at the top of the 30 foot waterfall and swept over.
Here's the deal: This hike (called the Commando Hike because it requires serious phyiscal prowess to navigate the stream and caves) among many others is shared in guidebooks and word of mouth, but it's incredibly dangerous. The problem lies in that even when it's not raining where you are, it could be upstream. These visitors we're incredibly fortunate to live through this relatively unscathed, though they (and 6 others) required airlift from a helicopter to safety.
Some things to think about before visiting a stream or waterfall along the Road to Hana, Maui Hawaii:
To visit the Commando Hike, you need to cross private property, then travel along EMI land where the stream runs. Even if trespassing doesn't disuade you, we can't emphasize enough how dangerous this hike is. It has some beautiful waterfalls, but there are plenty of amazing waterfalls along the Road to Hana and beyond that are far safer to visit.
People have been killed and seriously injured exploring this area. Literally weeks before this video was made, another man was severely injured and stuck overnight below one of these falls until rescue was possible.
We feel really good about how this event turned out. Thankfully no one was seriously injured, and hopefully this video will shed light on how visitors need to be very cautious and refrain from visiting dangerous spots. Renee, Jason, AJ, Noah, Sean, and Sarah, stay safe and thanks for sharing this with everyone. ALOHA!
We recognize the use of diacritical markings of the (modern) Hawaiian language including the ʻokina [ʻ] or glottal stop and the kahakō [ō] or macron (e.g., in place names of Hawaiʻi such as Lānaʻi). However, you may notice these diacritical markings have been omitted on some parts of this website to ensure the best online experience for our visitors. We recognizes the importance of using these markings to preserve the language and culture of Hawaii and respectfully uses them in all communications beyond the online platform.
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