Deep Dive: An Interview with Allison Schaefers

Deep Dive: An Interview with Allison Schaefers

From Deep Dive Into Water Safety by Kauaʻi Community Radio - KKCR

April 15, 2026 · 1h 5m · Season 1

About this episode

Allison Schaefers discusses her advocacy for water safety in Hawaiʻi following the tragic loss of her daughter to drowning.

Episode Notes Resident not just visitors account for nearly half of ocean drownings in Hawaiʻi, about 49 percent, challenging one of the most common assumptions about who is at risk. Even more sobering: drowning remains the leading cause of death for Hawaiʻi’s children ages 1 to 15. Allison Schaefers , a journalist with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and a key member of the Hawaiʻi Water Safety Coalition, is helping change that reality. Her work sits at the intersection of public awareness, policy, and prevention treating drowning not as an accident, but as a preventable public health issue. But what makes her voice especially powerful is that it is grounded in lived experience. At the heart of her story is the loss of her daughter in a 2004 drowning. From that unimaginable tragedy came purpose fueling advocacy that contributed to Sharkey’s Law, which will require fencing, signage, and ring buoys at detention ponds beginning in 2027. Schaefers has also played a central role in advancing the 2025 Hawaiʻi Water Safety Plan, a coordinated effort to reduce drowning statewide. The plan is designed to be accessible written at a sixth grade reading level and built for real-world use by…

People in this episode

Guest: Allison Schaefers

Topics covered

  • water safety
  • drowning prevention
  • public health
  • advocacy
  • Hawaiʻi
  • children's safety

Keywords

  • drowning
  • Hawaiʻi
  • water safety
  • advocacy
  • public health
  • children
  • Sharkey’s Law
  • Hawaiʻi Water Safety Coalition

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hawaiʻi Water Safety Coalition, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Places: Hawaiʻi

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