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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Saturday, March 26, 2005

Alaska man, 47, dies on Maui snorkel outing

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

A 47-year-old man from Alaska apparently drowned yesterday in waters off Makena, Maui.

The man was snorkeling with his 15-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son at 'Ahihi Bay when he told them he was returning to shore to get a bodyboard, said Maui Fire Department Battalion Chief Frank Tam. But the man did not return and the children swam to shore to look for him, Tam said.

The children could not find their father and someone called for help at 11:37 a.m.

Rescue crews recovered the body about a quarter-mile from the bay's parking lot. Tam said it was not clear how long the man had been in the water before he was found.

"We couldn't get that information from the kids," Tam said. "We couldn't figure out how long he was gone before they went looking for him or how long they looked for him. ... The kids were pretty distraught."

Tam said the family was not part of a snorkel tour group.

The man's name was not released last night.