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Hawaii woman, 21, drowns after being swept into rough waters near Makapuu tide pools

A 21-year-old Hawaii resident apparently drowned this morning just off the Makapuu tide pools.

Honolulu Ocean Safety responded to a 911 call at around 8:40 a.m. about a “swimmer in distress” in the area. The Honolulu Fire Department said the woman was last seen standing on a ledge near the water and being swept into the ocean by a wave.

The Honolulu Emergency Services Department described the water conditions in the area as “rough and dangerous” at the time. The National Weather Service reports 3 to 5 foot waves and 10-to-20 mph winds in the Makapuu area today.

HFD firefighters made their way up the Makapuu Lighthouse Trail on foot to reach the tide pools, where one of the woman’s two friends made the 911 call, but rerouted to the Alan Davis beach area after updated information from the emergency call. Firefighters conducted a shoreline search.

HFD’s Air 1 conducted an aerial search in the location where the woman was last seen, while Ocean Safety searched by sea using rescue watercraft.

The U.S. Coast Guard also dispatched a helicopter and located the woman’s body at about 9:55 a.m.

She was found about half a mile from the Alan Davis shoreline, and at 10:07 a.m was brought back to shore at Sandy Beach by Ocean Safety lifeguards. First responders could not detect any signs of life, and Honolulu Emergency Medical Services assisted in pronouncing her death.

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