A 44-year-old man picking opihi off Keahole Point on the Big Island died yesterday of an apparent drowning, Big Island firefighters say.

The man, whose name was not released, was found floating face down about 25 yards off shore in the surf at 2 p.m.

A friend reported to firefighters that the man had been missing for 40 minutes. The man was taken to Kona Community Hospital where he was pronounced dead.