Have you ever wondered if your GPS was taking you off track? For one motorist last weekend, it did – all the way into the waters of Honokohau Harbor on Hawaii’s Big Island.
Christie Hutchinson, a Kona resident, captured a video of the incident last Saturday and posted it on social media sites Instagram and TikTok, where it went viral.
“I think everyone was in a state of disbelief or just trying to figure out what had happened,” Hutchinson said, according to KITV. “As the car just kept going forward and was getting into deeper and deeper water- the ladies were smiling and didn’t seem to be in any sense of urgency or panic to get out the water.”
Per the outlet, tourists were driving the Dodge Caravan and apparently following GPS instructions when they drove straight into the harbor. In addition to Hutchinson, people who work for tour companies in the Kona area and other locals saw the tourists drive right into the water.
“I didn’t hear any brake sound or anything,” said Ronald Jourden, who works for a tour company. “She didn’t try to stop at all, just went in, start floating, and was going towards the middle of the harbor.”
“I was so stunned because I was actually in the Jeep getting ready to pull the boat out of the ramp, and I see a car coming the other direction. That was the absolute last thing you would expect to see when you’re on a boat ramp,” Tony Perman told KITV.
Perman decided to jump in and others –including Hutchinson’s husband, Sean, according to The Washington Post – joined the effort to get the women in the car out through the rental car’s windows. Eventually, the van became totally submerged. It required a tow out of the harbor.
According to the U.S. government, the accuracy of GPS “depends” on factors such as “satellite geometry, signal blockage, atmospheric conditions, and receiver design features/quality,” that can interfere with information coming from satellites.
“For example, GPS-enabled smartphones are typically accurate to within a 4.9 m (16 ft.) radius under open sky,” it said. “However, their accuracy worsens near buildings, bridges, and trees.”
Samantha Tavares, information specialist for Hawaii’s Department of Transportation, said GPS incidents are “kind of rare” statewide, according to The Washington Post. However, Hutchinson noted that weather could have played a part in the accident.
“You can see in the video that the rain is really substantial. I can see how something like this could potentially happen, where it’s difficult to see where the ground ends and the murky waters begin,” Hutchinson explained. She said she heard the tourists were following GPS to try and find a manta-ray tour.
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