Tourist following GPS directions drives into ocean at harbor, Hawaii video shows

Returning to a Hawaii harbor after a day of fishing, Drew Solmonson couldn’t believe it when he spotted a woman driving a Ford Edge down a boat ramp directly into the ocean.

“We were trying to land the boat and screaming the whole time to get her attention but her GPS had told her to go there so she drove right in,” Solmonson wrote on Instagram, where he posted a video of the submerged vehicle..

The driver swam to safety and was not hurt in the incident at 8 p.m. Monday, May 29, at the Honokohau Small Boat Harbor, Hawaii News Now reported.

She told Hawaii police she was following GPS directions at the time and mistook the ocean for a puddle in the road, according to the publication.

It’s not the first time this has happened.

On April 29, another tourist drove a van into the same harbor down the same boat ramp, The Washington Post reported. The driver also was following GPS directions.

“I was just sitting there trying to seek shelter from the rain, and then the next thing, I saw a car drive directly past our boat straight into the harbor at a pretty decent speed,” onlooker Christie Hutchinson told the publication.

Hawaii officials told SFGate they have no plans to add more warning signs to the boat ramp following the incidents.

“It’s really clear that it is a ramp and it leads directly into the water,” Ryan Aguilar, spokesperson with the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, said.

This story was originally published May 31, 2023 at 1:58 PM with the headline "Tourist following GPS directions drives into ocean at harbor, Hawaii video shows."