Surfer rescued off Sunset Beach

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

Two off-duty city lifeguards saved a man who was struck his head while surfing yesterday at Sunset Beach.

The man, described as a lifeguard from Brazil, crashed into another surfer at about 6:10 p.m. yesterday, said Ocean Safety Capt. Bodo Van Der Leeden. The man was knocked unconscious and slipped under water.

Lifeguards Taio Shipman and Glenn Wachtel happened to be at Sunset Beach and saw the accident, Van Der Leeden said. They reached the injured man, pulled him to the surface and began their swim to shore to get him to safety.

Meanwhile, Sunset lifeguards Chris Baker and Butch Ukauka had just packed up for the day when they saw the commotion in the water. Baker paddled to the three and placed the man on a rescue board while Ukauka called for help.

The man was conscious, "but very groggy," Van Der Leeden said. He was taken by Army medevac helicopter to The Queen's Medical Center. His condition was not available last night.

Van Der Leeden said the man was lucky that the lifeguards kept an eye on the ocean.

"They always watch the water, even when they're driving away. They got right on it," he said.

The surf at Sunset Beach yesterday was in the 4- to 6-foot range and rising. Van Der Leeden said things could have been worse if the sets were bigger.

"If the surf had been really huge, like 10 to 15 feet, and he went unconscious, it would have been a lot harder for anybody to help him," he said.

Reach Curtis Lum at 525-8025 or culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.