There are a number of warning signs on Po'ipu Beach, but one stood out for its candor. Hand-lettered all in capital letters and bolted to an orange post sticking in the sand, it read:

ATTENTION

KAUAI HAS THE HIGHEST DROWNING RATE PER CAPITA IN THE NATION. MOST DROWNINGS OCCURRED HERE!!

It was straightforward, honest and had a tone of frustration and heartbreak, like whoever had put that sign up had seen enough tragedy and wanted to make it stop.

Po'ipu, on Kaua'i's south shore, is a favorite among older tourists and families with young children. It is calm, clean, not too windy and has amenities like picnic pavilions and a playground, even a popular burger place across the street. The sand is silky soft beneath your feet.

But Po'ipu's gentle appearance is partly what makes it so dangerous. People, particularly tourists, let down their guard.

"Just looking at the stats in the past years, the drownings have all been visitors, all over 50, all snorkeling," said Kalani Vierra, Kaua'i County's water safety supervisor.

Po'ipu used to be separated from the next little beach fronting the Sheraton Hotel by a wide spit of sand with outcrops of rocks and tide pools on the end. About four years ago, Vierra said, the sandbar got washed out. That's when things got really dangerous.

"The sandbar being washed away really has an effect on the current," Vierra said. Waves from both beaches meet where the sand used to be. On the far end, the little island with charming tide pools is an attractive nuisance.

"Oftentimes the visitor is unaware and will try to walk across to the island, and they get in trouble," Vierra said.

The Po'ipu lifeguards are hoping the sandbar will come back. But for the most part, they are busy warning people about that treacherous crossing.

So they came up with a sign — an attempt to help with prevention.

The Kaua'i Mayor's Office had the sign taken down last month (Yes, in response to my phone call asking about the strongly worded and wonderfully honest sign ... dang it. I ruined it.) An official water safety sign, something more generic, will replace it.

"It wasn't meant to scare anyone," Vierra said. Sometimes fear is a helpful thing. It can stop you from doing something dangerous.