Ocean Death at Keawakapu Beach: Snorkeler Pulled Unresponsive from Water

A visitor from Canada was pulled unresponsive from waters off of Keawakapu Beach in South Maui on Thursday morning.

Keawakapu sign. File photo by Wendy Osher. Maui Now graphics.

The incident was reported at around 10:01 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017.

Wailea firefighters arrived on scene at 10:09 a.m. to find the female victim on the beach fronting the Mana Kai Maui Resort where bystanders had already begun CPR. Paramedics arrived shortly after and provided advanced life-saving measures; however, despite all efforts authorities say the woman could not be resuscitated and died at the scene.

The victim was identified as a 52-year-old female visitor from Canada.

Maui fire officials say the woman had been snorkeling with her spouse and both were returning to the beach; however, when the spouse reached shore, the victim was nowhere to be found. A short time later the woman was spotted floating on the surface just offshore.

According to department reports, a bystander swam out on a paddleboard and brought the woman back to the beach where two nurses, a physician, and a retired firefighter, who were all on vacation, jumped in to perform CPR.