Posted on: Tuesday, August 14, 2001

Diver gets helping hand from rescuers

By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Bureau

HAWAI'I KAI — Javier Mendez dives often at Lana'i Lookout, a popular spot between Hanauma Bay and Sandy Beach.

So, he was surprised yesterday when he surfaced amid a full-scale fire department effort to rescue him during what he considered a routine dive in search of fish for his aquarium.

"As I was diving I heard the Jet Ski overhead," said the 37-year-old Honolulu resident after returning to shore in his scuba gear. "I came up and saw the helicopter hovering right over me."

A bystander had called the department when Mendez disappeared from a rocky ledge, thinking the fierce wind-driven swells had swept him into the ocean, said Fire Department spokesman Capt. Richard Soo.

The department had two rescue divers, a jet boat, the city's Water Safety Division personal watercraft and a helicopter searching the area, a dozen people in all.

Soo said the rescue probably cost about $1,000 for the hour.

The incident wasn't considered a false alarm because the person who called 911 stayed at the scene until firefighters arrived.

"We had to act upon his observations," Soo said. "We justified the rescue operation by his observations. We did the same thing a couple of nights ago when we tried to rescue" a Waipahu diver off Kahala Beach, who was later found dead.

In the end, the rescue effort wasn't wasted.

As Mendez tried to get out of the water, waves kept tossing him onto the rocks. He was scooped out by a basket lowered from the Air 1 helicopter at about 12:30 p.m. He was not injured.