It is not yet clear if the woman, who was in her 20's and wearing a tank top and shorts, drowned or was killed by the force of the waves slamming her against the rocks. Five friends who were with her, four women and a man, were taken to Straub in order to treat cuts and bruises that ranged from serious to severe.

The woman who died was found floating offshore at 10:32 a.m.

"It was definitely a very critical situation for a lot of people there and I think it's very fortunate that five out of the six people involved walked away," said Jim Howe, operations chief for the city's Water Safety Division.

A 911 caller reported that "people were in trouble" off of the Lanai lookout, Howe said.

The woman was swept off the ledge and tumbled 15-20 feet down a rocky slope into the high surf, Howe said. A man who was with her either jumped or was washed into the water and tried to save her, according to HFD Capt. Kenison Tejada.

A high surf advisory was in effect at the time for East facing shores. Howe said the wraparound made for very rough conditions.

The man was flown by HFD's Air one in a rescue basket to Sandy beach.

A firefighter rescue swimmer swam out to the woman and gave her a few breaths to try and keep her going, Howe said. Moments later, lifeguards on a jet ski pulled up, loaded the girl aboard and took off for Hanauma Bay.

The firefighter swam into shore on his own.

At Hanauma Bay, lifeguards administered CPR for more than 15 minutes before turning the woman over to city emergency service technicians.

"It's a sad situation," Howe said. "It's going to affect more than the six people that were there."