Man dies after jump at Kapena Falls
By Allison Schaefers
Advertiser Staff Writer
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser
Alcohol may have been involved in the death of a 32-year-old man who apparently drowned yesterday after jumping into Kapena Falls after a night of partying with four friends.
Rescue crews remove the body of a 32-year-old man who apparently drowned after jumping into Kapena Falls.
The man jumped about 10 feet into the falls at about 8:30 a.m., said Honolulu Fire Department Capt. Kenison Tejada.
"He came up for air and then went back under the water and never resurfaced," said paramedic Jane Greenwood.
It took rescue workers about an hour and a half to find him because of limited visibility in the murky water, Tejada said.
"It was like closing your eyes, practically. The visibility was almost zero," said Lee Marquez, an HFD rescue specialist who helped find the victim on the bottom of the 12-foot deep pool off the Pali Highway in Nu'uanu.
The man's friends searched for him unsuccessfully for about 30 minutes, said Honolulu police Detective Robert Cravalho.
"They tried in vain to search for him, and they feel responsible," Cravalho said. "At first, they thought it was just a prank and then they became concerned."
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser
The American Red Cross was called to the scene to provide counseling to the man's friends, Cravalho said.
Friends were stunned after the death of the man, reported to be a resident of St. Louis Heights.
The Honolulu medical examiner's office has not released the man's name, but authorities said he lived in St. Louis Heights.
The man's friends told police that they had arrived at the falls about 7:30 a.m. and hadn't slept all night, Cravalho said.
Rescue workers indicated that drinking may have impaired their judgment.
The man's friends told rescue workers they had met at a nightclub and then decided to go swimming, Greenwood said. Alcohol was found at the scene, she said.
Kapena Falls is a popular swimming hole, but it is a dangerous place to swim. Tejada said there have been two drownings and two other injuries there since 2000.
It is also a health hazard, Tejada said.
Signs note that the water is contaminated with the bacteria leptospirosis.
