After four days the Honolulu Fire Department on Tuesday discontinued its search for Daylenn "Moke" Pua, a Kona teenager who disappeared while hiking in the Koolau, but friends, family and volunteers — including drone operators — will continue the search Wednesday.
"The crew, they work hard up there," the teen’s father, Donald Pua, said. "All this ohana, they work hard. They not giving up."
The family and supporters stood in a circle, holding hands and praying at day’s end at Moanalua Valley Neighborhood Park, the base of the volunteer operations.
Eighteen-year-old Pua, the fifth of seven children from Keei in South Kona, was visiting his grandmother in Waianae and caught the bus to climb the Haiku Stairs, known as Stairway to Heaven.
Two military nurses from the mainland hiking Monday reported they heard a voice calling for help on the Moanalua Valley side of the Koolau mountains.
HFD considered the two witnesses credible and extended their search Tuesday, a fourth day.
On Tuesday, HFD searched until 2 p.m., exhausting all avenues, looking for any signs of slipping and falling, scuff marks and broken vegetation, said Capt. David Jenkins.
Clouds, rain and wind hindered the search.
On Friday afternoon Pua’s grandmother, Martha Bear, called police when he failed to return. Authorities traced his cellphone to the Haiku Stairs. He had posted photos on social media.
Donald "Kama" Pua, the missing man’s brother, arrived on Oahu with his father Saturday morning.
Kama Pua works as an environmental technician in the Pohakuloa Training Area, and said of his family, "We all hunt; we all walk through the mountains."
He described conditions Tuesday atop the mountains as "super windy, whipping winds, gusts beyond 50 mph, rain whipping, can’t hear anything, can’t see anything. Very dangerous."
"We didn’t hear nothing today," he said.
He has confidence his brother could survive.
"He used to be a Boy Scout," he said. "My father went raise him. … He’s smart. He’s strong. He’s a Pua."
Kama Pua, the eldest of five sons and two daughters, said he thinks of his brother on the cold mountain with nothing. "I eat breakfast and sleep in a nice, warm bed. It tears me up."
Cousins, Daylenn Pua’s girlfriend and her family, church friends and strangers have come to help, encouraging the family.
Thomas Yoza, 65, a Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club member, said he searched the leeward side of the valley (since other volunteers went to the windward side), hiking up the power line trail, and hit the Tripler Ridge.
He checked the dry waterfall. "He could have dropped off there," he said, adding it is a 200-foot drop and below the area the nurses heard the voice calling.
Two other club members also searched the area.
Kaneohe pig hunter Munsta Souza, 41, said he came to help after hearing about the missing man on the news. He searched Monday and Tuesday on the ridge where the voice was heard.
"We just spread out, called, and we spent time listening," he said.
Drone operator Kenji Croman, a professional photographer, 37, said he’s been using drones for two years and was helping the family in their search Monday and Tuesday.
He will be joined by two other operators Wednesday.
Croman got permission to access the Omega station building, which gives him an excellent vantage point on the windward side of the H-3 freeway, and is focusing on the Saddle Ridge area where the cries were heard.
He flew his drone 2,000 feet high, close to the ridge, but Tuesday was unable to go over the ridge due to foggy conditions.
Bear said, "I know God can work miracles. Just praying we find him. … I’m so happy that all these volunteers offered to give help. I’m so thankful."
