Scot Smithee is getting a little uneasy with all the attention he's received from saving fellow passengers on a tour catamaran that capsized off Lana'i almost two years ago.

Smithee, a police captain in Gilroy, Calif., already was showered with citations from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, police associations and other groups, and was given the Coast Guard's Gold Lifesaving Award, the service's highest honor for lifesaving. And he was just named a winner of the prestigious Carnegie Medal for heroism.

"After after a while, it almost feels uncomfortable," said Smithee, 41, of the accolades.

On March 8, 2004, Smithee and his wife, Brenda, of Hollister, Calif., were on a snorkeling cruise aboard a 47-foot Paragon Sailing Charters catamaran with three other couples and two crew members. About two miles off Lana'i, a powerful gust flipped the boat upside-down, trapping seven of the visitors in the overturned cabin with a small pocket of air. Smithee, who had been standing on the bow, was thrown free of the catamaran.

He tied several lengths of rope together and secured one end to the stern. Holding the other end, Smithee swam under the capsized boat to reach the sinking cabin and coaxed one passenger after another to follow the rope to the ocean's surface.

The stranded passengers and crew sat on flotation rings for three hours amid rough seas until rescued by a fishing boat. Smithee accompanied the passengers one by one as they swam in choppy water to reach rescuers. A Pennsylvania woman suffered a broken collarbone and slight concussion in the ordeal, and Smithee had many bruises and a swollen arm.

Smithee said that aside from the awards, his life hasn't changed much since the harrowing experience. "I've always been pretty easy-going," he said, "although my wife has learned to appreciate things a little more."

The Smithees returned to Hawai'i in August, enjoying several boat cruises, and still keep in touch with the other catamaran survivors.

Smithee will receive a $3,500 grant from the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, which selected 91 others for the medal this year. The fund was established in 1904 by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie to recognize those in North America who risk their lives "to an extraordinary degree" while saving or trying to save others.