5th ocean death in 10-day period off Oneuli Beach
Texas man scuba diving, recovered off ocean floor
Trending
A scuba diver who died after being recovered from the ocean floor off Oneuli Beach in Makena on Wednesday morning was the fifth confirmed ocean death off Maui in the previous 10 days, fire officials said.
All of the deaths involved males, four of them visitors and one local resident, said Fire Services Chief Ed Taomoto on Wednesday. All five of the deaths occurred off South Maui.
Taomoto indicated that the spike in ocean deaths over the period appeared to be a random occurrence. The common factors are that all were older men and that two men who died off Kamaole Beach Park III were wearing full-face one-piece masks, he said.
Wednesday's ocean death involved a 57-year-old Montgomery, Texas, visitor who was scuba diving alone off Oneuli Beach, also known as black sand beach, said Taomoto.
A free diver heading to shore swam over the man and noticed him lying on the seafloor in about 10 feet of water about 30 feet from shore.
He signaled for help and the free diver's companion and snorkelers onshore brought the victim in.
A lifeguard from Makena arrived on scene at 9:54 a.m. as they brought the man to shore and began CPR.
Firefighters and medics reached the scene and continued lifesaving efforts.
He could not be revived and was pronounced dead at the scene, Taomoto said.
The man had gone scuba diving alone about an hour before firefighters received the call at 9:49 a.m., he said, adding that the victim had a friend waiting for him on shore.
How long he was at the bottom of the ocean or the cause of death was undetermined Wednesday. There was no evidence that the man was attacked by a shark, Taomoto said.
On Jan. 14, a 69-year-old Kula man was swimming off Wailea Beach fronting the Four Seasons Maui at Wailea at about 2 p.m. when bystanders noticed the man all of a sudden going under the water, said Taomoto.
Bystanders brought the man to shore and CPR was begun. Firefighters and medics arrived and continued lifesaving measures, but he was not revived. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, Taomoto said.
On Jan. 18, Bryan Beyer, 50, of Oakland, Calif., died after being pulled from the water off Kamaole Beach Park III. He had been snorkeling alone and was found facedown 15 feet from shore in knee-deep water, fire officials said.
Michael Mellin, 67, of Castro Valley, Calif., was pronounced dead at Kamaole Beach Park III on Saturday evening, police said. He had been snorkeling with friends about 25 yards offshore when his friends noticed he wasn't moving, officials said. The friends pulled Mellin to shore and started efforts to revive him before emergency workers arrived in response to a 6:22 p.m. call, officials said.
On Monday, 66-year-old Eugene Purcell from Saskatchewan, Canada, couldn't be revived after he was pulled from waters off Ulua Beach in Wailea, officials said. He had gotten out of the water after scuba diving with a family member, went back in to assist a relative with gear and was swimming back to shore when he became unresponsive, officials said.
Emergency workers responded to the 12:16 p.m. call.
There was a sixth incident on Jan. 14 at Alaeloa Point in Napili, where a 47-year-old Maui resident was pulled from the ocean unresponsive by a surfer, said Taomoto.
The man was fishing on the point, and it is not known how he ended up in the water.
Firefighters got the call at 11:15 a.m. and were on scene at 11:21 a.m. Firefighters and medics performed CPR and the man was transported to Maui Memorial Medical Center in critical condition.
Taomoto did not know his status Wednesday.
* Lee Imada can be reached at leeimada@mauinews.com.