FILE – Tunnels Beach in summer at Kauai on North Shore, Hawaiian island.
Valerie Loiseleux/Getty Images/iStockphotoA 37-year-old California man on vacation in Hawaii died Friday while swimming at a popular beach on Kauai’s North Shore, officials said.
Lucas Ivor was swimming at Tunnels Beach, also known as Makua Beach, in Wainiha, 9 miles west of Princeville, when he began struggling in the water, the Kauai Police Department said. The department said it first received a report of a swimmer “face down in the water” at 5:15 p.m. on June 9, and police, firefighters and medics went to the beach.
At the scene, officers learned that a bystander on the beach saw Ivor waving for help and swam to him. By the time the swimmer reached Ivor, he was unresponsive. Other bystanders pitched in to pull Ivor from the water and performed CPR until firefighters and medics took over. Ivor was rushed to Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital in Kapaa, but all attempts to save his life failed.
Police said Ivor was visiting the island with family.
“This is a tragic event, and the department sends condolences to the entire family,” Kauai Police Investigative Services Bureau Acting Assistant Chief Kennison Nagahisa said in a statement. “We would like to thank the courageous men and women who assisted with lifesaving efforts.”
Tunnels Beach is known as a snorkeling spot, according to Lonely Planet.
Ivor’s death comes after a San Jose man drowned in a snorkeling accident on June 1 off Electric Beach in Oahu. Drowning is the leading cause of tourist deaths in Hawaii, accounting for over 45% of tourist deaths in the state.