Maui waters claim 8 lives over 2-week period

Eight people died in a recent rash of ocean-related incidents on Maui — mostly involving tourists snorkeling.

The deaths occurred over a two-week period beginning Jan. 14, said Maui Fire Department spokesman Edward Taomoto.

There wasn’t a clear l ink in the spike in deaths, but Taomoto said several incidents involved older folks at beaches without lifeguards.

“If you’re snorkeling for the first time, you should be aware of your physical limitations,” he said. He added that people who are new to snorkeling should go to beaches with lifeguards on duty to increase their chance of survival.

Of the eight deaths, seven occurred at places without lifeguards or after lifeguards had gone home for the day.

Taomoto also said snorkelers should talk to lifeguards before going into the water to get advice about ocean currents and other hazards.

Complete statistics were not immediately available, but Taomoto said for all of December he knew of only two ocean-related deaths.

Taomoto said Maui County and the Maui Visitors Bureau have a safety video for visitors about snorkeling or hiking.

On Saturday, the toll nearly increased after a 71-year-old man from Berkeley, Calif., was pulled unconscious from the water after going out snorkeling alone.

He was with family and friends at Maluaka Beach in Makena, but he was alone when someone on the beach spotted him floating in the water about 100 yards from shore.

Firefighters and lifeguards responded at about 10:30 a.m. and brought him back to shore on a personal watercraft.

Paramedics revived him and took him to Maui Memorial Medical Center in critical condition, Taomoto said.

On Friday, two snorkelers died, both off West Maui:

>> A 52-year-old St. Paul, Minn., man was snorkeling off Olowalu with the catamaran Teralani 2 when the crew noticed he was not moving. They brought him on board and began CPR.

Firefighters and paramedics tried to revive the man at Lahaina Harbor about 11:55 a.m., but he died at the harbor.

>> A 62-year-old Salem, Ore., man died at the beach after he was pulled from the ocean about 1 p.m., fronting Marriott Maui Ocean Club in Kaanapali. He had been snorkeling near shore for less than five minutes when he was found floating face-down by a friend standing in the water nearby.

Four died at South Maui beaches:

>> A 57-year-old Montgomery, Texas, man died Wednesday at Oneuli Beach, also known as Black Sand Beach, in Makena. He was scuba diving alone when free divers spotted him lying motionless on the sea floor in about 10 feet of water.

>> A 66-year-old man from Saskatchewan, Canada, died Monday at Ulua Beach in Wailea after losing consciousness in shallow water while scuba diving with family.

>> On Jan. 20, a 67-year-old man of Castro Valley, Calif., died at Kamaole Beach Park III in Kihei after becoming unresponsive while snorkeling with friends. Lifeguards at the beach had already gone home for the day.

>> On Jan. 18, Bryan Beyer, 50, of Oakland, Calif., died after he went snorkeling alone, also at Kamaole, while lifeguards were on duty. He was found unresponsive in knee-deep water.

And two Maui residents died Jan. 14:

>> A 47-year-old man was fishing on the shoreline north of Alaeloa Point in Napili when he somehow ended up unresponsive in the water. A surfer brought him back to shore and emergency responders took him to a hospital, where he died.

>> That afternoon, a 69-year-old Kula resident was swimming at Wailea Beach in front of the Four Seasons Resort when he went underwater. He was pulled onto the beach, where he died.

ON VACATION:

Lee Cataluna is on vacation. Her column returns Feb. 4.