Boating deaths are rare in Hawai'i, but Sunday's fatality was the second in less than four months to occur as the result of an accident aboard a tour catamaran. On Dec. 1, 13-year-old Jordan James Loser was killed when the mast of the Na Hoku II suddenly broke and pinned the boy during a sail off Waikiki with his parents, David and Cathy Loser of Riverside, Calif.

"I thought it was a rare occurrence," said David Loser yesterday upon learning of the latest tragedy.

Loser had called a Waikiki tour catamaran just yesterday to inquire about chartering a vessel to sail him out to the same waters where his son was fatally injured.

"That's where my son died. I feel maybe a part of him is left there. I'm having a hard time, and I just want to find a way to reconnect with him," he said.

The couple remain devastated by their son's death, which has affected many in their community. "He was a wonderful child so full of life. It's such a loss," said Cathy Loser. "When we had his funeral 1,500 people showed up. It was amazing."

The Coast Guard said the investigation into that incident is ongoing.

Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com.