Ahalanui Park( Hot Ponds)

[Nalu]

Can anyone tell me the condtion of these ponds? I live near Volcano so haven't been out that way in years. I last remember them being dirty, and hearing horror stories about staph out breaks etc..Was wondering if they have been cleaned up? My 4 year old got a party invite out there. So trying to make a decision. Thanks! Angela

[PaulW]

Well, I wouldn't swim there. But the biggest problem these days are the thefts, especially of cars.

[JerryCarr]

I haven't heard about any disease outbreaks lately, but there were a rash (no pun intended) of car thefts there recently involving keys being stolen while people were swimming. Caution advised.

Cheers,
Jerry

[julieb]

I have been twice in the past week, with mainland visitors. No problems. Water seemed clean but it was also raining at the time! My biggest concern was the car theft problem so I kept getting out of the water to check on my vehicle.

[Greg]

I talked to Officer Danny Nances last weekend at our neighborhood meeting. He's the new Community Policing Officer that's taking Briski's place. He's a great guy and seems well suited for the job.

He mentioned that the department has been making a presence at Ahalanui and Pohoiki in response to the recent criminal activity. One of the tactics they're employing is to have officers go in and out of the bushes to give the impression of a "stakeout". That along with their visiblity seems to be working.

I still think it's important to "watch your sh*t"

All the rain we had probably "flushed" the pond a bit. If you do go; don't go in with open cuts and shower afterwards. I don't go in the hot pond, but even after being in the water at Pohoiki I use my homemade version of "swim ear". It's a mixture of 95% alcohol and 5% glycerine.

[csgray]

Based on my health care practitioners' advice, I would not recommend that anyone with a compromised immune system swim there, or healthy people with openings in their skin. I have the immune system of a shark (bugs that try to get a piece of me just die) and I still wouldn't swim there, The thermally heated fresh water is a breeding point for staph, and then it feeds into the swimming area. If the water is fairly cool then ocean water has flushed out most of the staph laden fresh water. I know people who swim there daily with no ill effect, but as the spouse of someone who has twice been hospitalized with life threatening staph infections, I can tell you that it is no picnic. Watching your delirious loved one's fevers spike at over 106, and having doctors asking about permission to amputate a limb that was perfectly healthy just days before, is a crash course in staph literacy. Hawaii is rife with staph, not just in the water, because our landscape is made up of ground up lava as opposed to bacterially balanced soil, in a few hundred thousand years the staph levels will drop off. In the mean time, keep your skin intact and beware places where staph has a good breeding environment. Unfortunately, geothermally heated water is heaven for bacteria. If your child has scratched open mosquito bites or scratches in the skin, don't send them with a bathing suit. It is still a nice park for a birthday party.

Carol

[missydog1]

Carol, that's very interesting. How does lava "soil" favor staph? There's a lack of beneficial bacteria to neutralize it or something? Does that apply to all the dirt on the island?

Oh, and I don't swim there since my son heard from one of the Bay Clinic folks that the hot ponds are high risk for staph.

[Cindy Blankenship]

I swim there but never one weekends, holidays or the day just following, such as Mondays. I also stay on the side closer to where the ocean comes in. And I don't go in if I have a cut. My immune system is so-so. Never had any problems after at least 100 swims over the years. Same with my son.

[Punamom]

I would defiantly NOT swim in Pohiki or the hot pond.[xx(][xx(][xx(]

My very healthy 16 year old son went surfing at Pohiki about a month ago and got the flesh eating bacteria on a small healed burn, confirmed by a culture. He got a very high fever and swollen glands within hours after coming home, He needed 2 doses of i.v. antibiotics and 2 other antibiotic pills that I never even heard of. It could of been much worse but he was treated early.
Who knows how it may affect his long term health and it cost over a 100$ in co pays and thats with really good insurance.
Not worth it IMHO, I myself have not swam there in over 5 years, just to much human traffic.[] and now the flesh eating bacteria just freaks me out[:0]

The mosquitoes are also known to carry staph in that area.[:0]

Dress her in pants and do not let her go swimming, take some activities, the pavilions are a great place to do art and games.
She probably will not be alone, many other parents feel the same way.

[Devany]

I agree with Cindy. I have swam there quite a few times, not as much as she has, but I also avoid the area Saturday-Monday and I would not go in with a cut either. I would not even go in Kopoho Tide Pools with a cut either.

The car thefts are a more troubling thing to me.

devany

quote:

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Originally posted by Cindy Blankenship

I swim there but never one weekends, holidays or the day just following, such as Mondays. I also stay on the side closer to where the ocean comes in. And I don't go in if I have a cut. My immune system is so-so. Never had any problems after at least 100 swims over the years. Same with my son.

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