Two Independent Federal Investigations For Keawakapu Z-Block Damage

[MauiScubaSteve]

While I'm at it - re: the remaining 1300 or so of these things were supposed to be deployed in big piles or stacks - with the piles separated one from another. If you had to pick between these two choices to characterize the pattern - which would choose: more spread out than stacked or more stacked than spread out? (One thing they are definitely not supposed to be is laying flat on the sand). Any theories as to how they got spread out as much as they appear to be? Barge is supposed to be stationary when they push these things over the side - so they can make sure that they are actually building these stacks in the right place. This whole thing seems like such a huge giant screw up ... hard to get your head around how it could have gone so wrong. DAR people were on the barge - right? Hard to jump to the conclusion that it was just the company that got it wrong. Gotta be a pretty good story behind this. Feds were supposed to have finished the first part of their investigation by now and DLNR should have their report. I wonder if we will ever find out what actually happened.

Since my goal was just to find the location, since the majority of the blocks are ~90 feet deep and since I had snorkeled more than 300 yards before my freedives, with the last one to ~70 feet (huevos rancheros breakfast from Fred's not cooperating), I did not make a thorough inspection of the entire mess; but what I saw did not look like "pre planned piles."

Newton gave us the answer many years ago; for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The barge was not anchored, or not anchored well, so when they exerted force to push the blocks off, the blocks also exerted force to the barge when they were pushed off. Once they decided to start pushing, the spotter divers were removed from the water for safety, if they were ever even in the water before the pushing started. From what was printed in various news reports I'm not sure the spotters went into the water before deployment of the z-blocks.

 

[Shaka Doug]

Good Job Steve!! Glad you found it!

 

[Jackie6438]

Halemano;
You know - to be honest I'm as curious (but not as horrified) about the placement of the rest of the blocks as I am the ones on the reef. I think DLNR brought that Barge loaded with the Blocks all the way over from Oahu (where the blocks were made). I read somewhere that they cost out at around $150 a unit. So - if the number the dropped really was 1400 - that would place total cost just for the concrete at around $210,000. Then add up the cost of loading the blocks onto the barge, the cost of transportation all the way to Maui, whatever they were paying for the tugs .... (anyone want to take a guess at what all of that cost?) If the rest of the blocks are as spread out as people say - everyone of them that is just laying flat in the sand is pretty much worthless.

So - there you go. Just go to the end and start counting.... try to have a good number for us along with a map showing where each block was dropped... say by Saturday morning???

Just kidding....

But I am looking forward to seeing what you come up with. Thanks for all the info.