Select an option below to continue reading this premium story.
Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading.
Maui firefighters will resume searching Wednesday for a man who went missing after he fell off a cliff into the rough surf Tuesday morning.
The man was hiking with three friends along Puka Maui Trail in East Maui when he fell about 20 feet from a sea cliff at around 11 a.m., Maui firefighters said.
The group called for help after losing sight of the man. Puka Maui Trail is near the 7-mile marker on Hana Highway. It is a 90-minute hike to the ocean from the highway.
Maui Fire Department spokesman Edward Taomoto said it wasn’t clear how the man fell, but the area was wet from overnight rain and the trail was slippery.
Firefighters searched by helicopter, on a boat and from land, Taomoto said. Lifeguards on two rescue watercraft assisted in the search.
Taomoto said dangerous surf of 20 to 25 feet hampered Tuesday’s search.
Firefighters on a rescue boat had to stay 200 yards from shore because of the rough surf, and firefighters on shore couldn’t walk the shoreline, which is mostly bluffs overlooking the ocean, Taomoto said.
In addition, brown water from mountain stream runoff prevented rescuers from entering the ocean.
Taomoto said firefighters ended the search at dark at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday and planned to resume searching this morning.