11-08-2025
Disturbing moment ferry hurtles towards surfers at Hawaii beach
The wild moment a passenger ferry got caught up in a large wave in Hawaii has been caught on camera, with surf riders filmed frantically trying to get out of the way of the vessel.
The heart-stopping moment the 15-metre ferry came crashing down the wave and towards surfers left onlookers in awe. The incident took place at Waikiki's most popular breaks, Kewalos, before the boat ran aground on some reef.
The vessel, which is operated by Atlantis Adventures, had no guests on board aside from two crew members.
'I'm just really grateful that nobody was hurt in terms of any of the surfers out on the water, hopefully they didn't cause damage to the reef,' Maliny Soukkhasen, board member of the Friends of Kewalo, said of the incident which happened around 8am local time.
According to local media, the reason Discovery had such trouble remains under investigation, however there appears to be no apparent mechanical failures prior to the event.
It is understood the vessel's operator said the boat took two large waves to the stern, which ended up disrupting his course. Afterwards, the boat lost propulsion it went aground.
Local media THV11 reported the coast guard confirming that the vessel's fuel, oil and batteries were removed after running aground on the reef, preventing the threat of pollution.
