Hawaiian Tour Boat Nearly Sinks, 55 On Board

Fifty-five people are safe after the U.S. Coast Guard dewatered a tour boat in danger of sinking near Kihei, Maui, Wednesday.

Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Honolulu command center received notification at 11:08 a.m., that the tour boat, Mahana Nai’a with 55 people on board was taking on water in the engine room near Kihei.

A 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Coast Guard Station Maui was diverted to the scene.

Once on scene, two crewmembers from the RBM went aboard the Mahana Nai'a with a P6 pump and a damage control kit and successfully dewatered the port engine room.

The Mahana Nai'a was safely towed by the RBM back to Pier 47 at Maalaea Bay.

No injuries were reported.

The cause of the flooding is under investigation.

According to http://maui-snorkeling-adventures.com/, the Mahana Nai’a is one of Maui’s few remaining family owned and operated charters. Mahana Nai’a is a unique, wood and fiberglass vessel originally sailing over from Greece in the 1970′s as a private yacht. Mahana Nai’a is a double hulled catamaran, appropriately meaning Twin Dolphins in the Hawaiian language. She is 58ft long and 25ft wide, and powered by two Volvo engines.