California man drowns while snorkeling at Black Rock in Kāʻanapali

A 45-year-old man from California drowned Monday afternoon while snorkeling at Puʻu Kekaʻa, also known as “Black Rock” in Kāʻanapali, the Maui Department of Fire & Public Safety reported Tuesday.

The fire department was notified at 5:14 p.m. and responded to the beach to find a man on the rocks, accompanied by bystanders.

Fire personnel were told the man had been found face down in the water on the north side of Puʻu Kekaʻa, and brought onto the rocks. At the time, the sky was clear but it was high tide with a south swell that made for rough ocean conditions.

When fire personnel arrived, the man was unresponsive without a pulse. No evidence of head, neck or other trauma was observed, the report said.

Fire personnel performed CPR and used an AED (automated external defibrillator) to try to get a pulse. But the man did not survive. His identity was not released.