Rescue personnel from the Kauai Fire Department retrieved the body of one drowning victim this morning in waters off Kauai’s North Shore, and the search for a second victim has been suspended until Sunday morning. 

Rough seas on Friday prevented rescuers from recovering the bodies of the two men after they were swept out to sea.

“We extend our deepest and most heartfelt sympathies to the families of the victims,” said Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho, Jr., who is in Washington, D.C., attending the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors. “This is a terrible tragedy and our entire community mourns with you.” 

The men, both from San Francisco, have been identified as 46-year-old Adam Griffiths and 47-year-old Brian Baker. 

Fire officials said the men were traveling with three other friends and exploring the rocky coastal area south of Kalihiwai Bay late Friday afternoon when Baker was swept into the ocean by high surf. Griffiths dove in to assist Baker and was also overcome by high surf, officials said.

A high-surf warning by the National Weather Service remains in effect until 6 a.m. Sunday for the north- and west-facing shores of Oahu, Kauai, Maui and Molokai and the west-facing shores of Hawaii island. Kauai County’s Ocean Safety Bureau has closed Kee, Haena and Pine Trees beaches and are allowing only limited swimming at Hanalei Pier due to dangerous ocean conditions.