Sailor dies after being swept into ocean near ‘Rock Bridge’

A 21-year-old Navy man died Saturday after a large wave swept him into the ocean at a dangerous attraction off an illegal hike near Hanauma Bay.

Honolulu Fire Department Capt. David Jenkins said the man had been hiking with friends when he was swept into the water about 12:10 p.m. Saturday near a shoreline formation known as “Rock Bridge.”

Witnesses called for help and firefighters joined city lifeguards, who arrived first at the scene. The Coast Guard also aided the search with an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and 45-foot boat.

About 2:50 p.m., HFD divers discovered the man’s body in 110 feet of water near the area where he was washed in, Jenkins said. Officials did not identify the man on Saturday, but said he was in the Navy.

Firefighters also picked up the man’s hiking party by helicopter and dropped the individuals off at a safe location.

Ron Bregman, of the city’s Ocean Safety & Lifeguard Services, said the man was on a hike with two women. One of them told him the man was sitting on the rocks when a wave washed him in. She said she tried to help, but was knocked down by another wave and kept herself out of the ocean by barely holding onto a rock.

Other hikers who witnessed the incident called for help, Bregman said.

Bregm an said two lifeguards using a personal watercraft from Sandy Beach and lifeguards on paddleboards from Hanauma Bay searched for the man in large surf that kept lifeguards busy throughout the day.

Bregman urged beachgoers to be on their guard because of the high surf expected throughout the long Labor Day weekend. He recommended that beachgoers swim in guarded areas and ask lifeguards if they have questions about ocean conditions.

The incident occurred during a high-surf warning for east shores of all islands from Kauai to Hawaii island, except Lanai, and a high-surf advisory for all south shores.

The National Weather Service warned that water could sweep across beaches and affect coastal properties and structures. Powerful currents will be present at most beaches under the high-surf warning, and inexperienced people should remain off beaches and adjacent beachfront areas, the Weather Service said.

Rock Bridge, a land formation that looks like a bridge over the water, is off a trail that is blocked at the entrance by a gate with no-trespassing signs.

Last October, Jojo Acosta died and his girlfriend, Noemi Alcotas, went missing after a wave apparently swept the couple into the ocean at the attraction.

On Oct. 10, hikers found the couple’s bags on a cliff near the rock formation and called firefighters.

Acosta’s body was discovered in the water later that day. Firefighters continued searching for three days for Alcotas, but never found her body.