A 37-year-old visitor died Monday after jumping off the cliff at End of the World.
A 37-year-old visitor died Monday after jumping off the cliff at End of the World.
The man, whose identity was not immediately released, resurfaced after making the 20- to 25-foot plunge and tried to scale the rocky cliff face several times but was knocked down by large surf at about 11:30 a.m., said Hawaii Fire Department West Hawaii Battalion Chief Ty Medeiros.
The man’s girlfriend then left to call 911, but when she returned moments later he was missing.
The man’s body was recovered at about 4 p.m., approximately 30 yards offshore of the popular cliff-jumping spot, he said.
During the search, the last known position was marked by a gray buoy and four HFD rescue divers began canvassing the area. Initially, they were free-diving, two of them towing lifeguard floats. They searched to within several yards of the crashing waves, examining the underwater terrain, cliffs and caves of the area. After a short break, two began to search with SCUBA equipment and the others remained as free-divers.
The jump, located near Kualanui Point, leads into Lekeleke Bay, where divers focused their initial search.
Both Hawaii County rescue helicopters, a U.S. Coast Guard Dolphin helicopter and C-130 airplane searched up and down the Kona Coast. A commercial diver performed a search from a private boat before rescue personnel arrived.
Email Chelsea Jensen at cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com.
Email Graham Milldrum at gmilldrum@westhawaiitoday.com.