Honolulu firefighters rescued a 47-year-old man who failed to exit Manoa Falls Trail on Tuesday evening.

The Honolulu Fire Department received a 911 call at 6:45 p.m. for a missing hiker from his wife, who had been waiting several hours for him at the trailhead. Five units with 16 personnel responded, with the first arriving on scene five minutes later.

The couple had hiked up the trail together but became separated at around 1:30 p.m. The man’s wife hiked out on her own and waited, but called 911 after he did not show up after sunset.

Firefighters hiked up the trail to begin the search-and-rescue operation and found the man at about 7:23 p.m.

They assessed his vital signs, escorted him off the trail and transferred him to the care of Emergency Medical Services at about 9 p.m.

EMS said the man was taken in stable condition to Queen’s Medical Center. No other injuries were reported.

HFD recommends calling 911 early and not waiting until sunset or later to reach out for help because rescues are much more dangerous and chances of being found diminish after dark.