A 48-year-old father of three died as a result of "massive blunt trauma to the head" when a mast snapped on a Maui catamaran Sunday, the Maui County medical examiner said yesterday.

Hal W. Pulfer II of Illinois was aboard the Kiele V catamaran for dinner and whale watching when the mast snapped after 5 p.m. about three miles off the coast of Kahana, Maui, according to a news release from Maui County.

According to a witness aboard a catamaran that responded to calls for help, Pulfer was sitting on the right forward part of the Kiele V when he apparently was struck by the falling mast and rigging.

Two other passengers, a couple from Kaua'i, were admitted to Maui Memorial Medical Center Sunday evening with injuries suffered in the incident, the county said.

The injured 57-year-old man was released Sunday evening. The 46-year-old woman is being treated at Maui Memorial Medical Center, the county said.

The man received bruises to the right eye, elbows and back. The woman suffered closed head trauma; an eye injury; and spinal vertebrae, rib and left collarbone fractures.

Meanwhile, authorities and the catamaran's owners, Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa, are working on a plan to bring up what's left of the sunken craft.

"Our investigators are very interested in seeing the wreckage so they can determine what happened," said Coast Guard Petty Officer Luke Clayton.

The resort is working with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources on a salvage plan and will turn over anything that's recovered to two Coast Guard investigators currently on Maui interviewing passengers and crew members.

Debris believed to have come from the Kiele V was spotted off Honomuli and Pauwalu on Moloka'i's eastern shoreline.

Advertiser reporter Jan TenBruggencate, who was visiting Moloka'i on Monday, said that while in a sailing canoe, he came across "a field of debris" that included pieces of hull, about 30 swim fins, a couple of windbreaker jackets, a number of full cans of beer and soda and plastic drinking cups.

The resort in a written statement released yesterday said the catamaran's "captain and crew are highly experienced sailors, trained in emergency response, and have completed numerous Coast Guard certification programs."

In the release, Frank Lavey, vice president and managing director of the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa, also said: "We are grateful for the courageous efforts and professionalism of the Kiele V's captain and crew who acted admirably to protect the safety of the passengers during this unforeseeable event.

"We have taken every measure to ensure the safety of the Kiele V, including annual inspections in accordance with Coast Guard standards. The most recent dry-dock inspection occurred within the last six months and is valid for five years."

The statement also said: "Our heartfelt sympathies are with the victim's family at this time. We offer our continued support and assistance to those involved in this tragic accident."

Pulfer, of Highland Park, Ill., was visiting Maui with his wife and three children, ages 7, 10 and 12.

His family has returned to Illinois, the county said in a news release.

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.