A woman believed to be in her 60s was pulled from the water at Hanauma Bay on Sunday morning and rushed to a nearby emergency room in critical condition, according to officials. Lifeguards brought her to shore from a short distance offshore, where they began efforts to revive her on the sand before care was handed off to Honolulu Emergency Medical Services. Authorities have not released the woman's name or the hospital where she was taken.
Honolulu EMS crews were called to Hanauma Bay at about 9:30 a.m. after reports of an unresponsive swimmer in the ocean, according to KITV. Lifeguards and EMS personnel provided advanced life-saving treatment onshore before paramedics transported her to a nearby emergency room, where she remained in critical condition.
Rescue And Response
Honolulu Ocean Safety lifeguards typically take the lead on water rescues at Hanauma Bay, performing CPR and stabilizing patients on the beach while Emergency Medical Services handles advanced life support and transport, according to the Honolulu Emergency Services Department. The department notes on its news pages that lifeguards and EMS often respond together at the bay, given its heavy visitor traffic and reef hazards. City officials generally withhold specific patient information while individuals are still being treated in the hospital.
Hanauma Bay Context And Safety
Hanauma Bay is a state-designated marine life conservation district, with a mandatory visitor education program and reservation system aimed at reducing risk for both people and the reef, according to the University of Hawaiʻi. Even with those safeguards, older snorkelers and other visitors sometimes require emergency care after losing consciousness or struggling in the water. Officials point to the preserve's rules and required orientation video as central tools in efforts to keep visitors safe.
Similar incidents have occurred before. In March 2025, Hawaii News Now reported that lifeguards revived a 79-year-old visitor who had lost consciousness in shallow water before EMS took the person to a hospital. Authorities have not connected that case to Sunday's rescue. Investigators typically review medical factors and water conditions when examining such incidents, and visitors are urged to follow posted warnings and lifeguard instructions while in the bay.
