A man who died after he was found floating in waters off the Halona Blow Hole Thursday was identified as Melvin I. Nakai of Kalihi.

Nakai, 56, was spotted floating about 300 yards off the Blow Hole about 2 p.m. Lifeguards recovered his body and brought him to shore, where emergency personnel performed CPR.

Nakai was taken to a hospital where he died. The city medical examiner's office said the cause of death was asphyxiation due to an accidental drowning.

FIREFIGHTERS, POLICE ENDORSE FELIX

The Hawaii Fire Fighters Association and the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers have endorsed John Henry Felix in the special election to fill the City Council seat of the late Barbara Marshall, according to Felix's campaign.

Felix, 78, is chairman and CEO of HMAA, a health insurance provider. He served on the City Council from 1988 to 2002, representing a district that then covered an area from Kahala to Hawai'i Kai, Waimanalo and part of Kailua. He lives in Kailua.

Marshall, 64, died Feb. 22 following a battle with cancer.

The district currently encompasses Kane'ohe, Kailua and Waimanalo.

FEMALE TEEN SUFFERS INJURIES AT POND

A female in her late teens was seriously injured when she slipped and fell on the rocks at the popular "Ice Pond" swimming spot in Kalihi Valley yesterday afternoon.

The female was with a group of about five people who trekked to the pond, which is a half-mile in from Likelike Highway between the Wilson Tunnels and Burmeister overpass, said Fire Department spoke-sman Capt. Terry Seelig.

Shortly before 3 p.m., the victim was swinging on a rope above the pond when she apparently slipped and fell onto the rocks, Seelig said.

Fire rescue crews got to the female and she was placed into a wire stokes basket and flown out by the HFD Air One helicopter. Police shut down traffic in both directions of the Likelike for about five minutes to allow the helicopter to lower the victim to the highway, where an ambulance was waiting.

Seelig said the female suffered multiple injuries and was taken to The Queen's Medical Center in serious condition.

MAYOR ENDORSES LIGHTS-OUT HOUR

Mayor Mufi Hannemann is urging O'ahu residents to turn out the lights during the World Wildlife Fund's Earth Hour 2009 this evening.

The event involves people and cities shutting off lights and unnecessary electrical devices for one hour.

In Honolulu, Earth Hour begins at 8:30 p.m. Here, it's called Honolulu City Lights Out.

"We are joining together with over 2,700 cities in 83 different countries to recognize the importance of energy conservation and it's relation to climate protection," Hannemann said in a statement.

During Earth Hour 2008, more than 50 million people in over 1,000 cities on all continents turned their lights off, darkening such icons as the Sydney Opera House, the Coliseum in Rome, Stockholm's Royal Castle, New York's Empire State Building and San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.

More information can be found at www.earthhourus.org.