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Maui police have identified the body of an opihi picker found in the ocean Monday as that of Harold Mangantulao, 30, of Kahului.
Police said the Maui Fire Department’s rescue unit recovered his body at 3:10 p.m. Monday from waters of Pilala Bay in Haiku off Haumana Road.
Mangantulao was fishing with friends at Pilala Bay when he left the group at about 10 a.m. to pick opihi alone.
When his friends noticed he had not returned at about 12:30 p.m., they began searching for him. The waves became too large for them to pass at the point of the bay, so they reported him missing.
Police and fire rescue personnel, including some in a helicopter, searched the area and found Mangantulao’s body floating about 100 yards offshore in high surf.
He was pronounced dead at 3:39 p.m. at the scene.
An autopsy will be conduced to determine the exact cause of death. No foul play is suspected, police said.
