Alaska Man Pulled from Waters off Wailea

Ulua Beach in Wailea, 7/31/13. Photo by Wendy Osher.

Update: 

The man has since been identified as 80 year old Michael Cline of Homer, Alaska.  The case has been classified as a miscellaneous accident.

Previous Post:

An 80-year-old male visitor from Homer, Alaska died after he was found floating face down in the ocean at Ulua Beach in Wailea while snorkeling alone Saturday morning.

Fire officials say the man had gone to the beach with a family member, but went snorkeling by himself when bodyboarders in the water found the victim floating face down and unresponsive about 50-feet from shore. Ocean conditions were considered very rough, with shorebreak face heights in the six to seven foot range.

Emergency crews responded to the report of the man being pulled from waters at 10:16 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018.

The teenaged bodyboarders brought the man to the beach where bystanders began administering CPR. The victim was using a traditional two piece mask and snorkel.

At 10:21 a.m., firefighters arrived to find bystanders performing CPR. Crews continued CPR until medics arrived to provide advanced life support measures. Despite all efforts the victim could not be revived and died at the scene.

Firefighters from Wailea and a paramedic crew from Kīhei responded to the incident.

This is the 10th ocean related death in Maui County for 2018.

Twelve days earlier on Jan. 22, a 66-year-old male from Saskatchewan, Canada died after he was pulled unresponsive from Ulua Beach.