A man in his 40s is dead after going missing in the water off Makaha Beach Park early Saturday, triggering an overnight search that stretched from just after midnight until Honolulu Fire Department's Air 1 helicopter spotted him near 6:54 a.m. The swimmer had last been seen near the shoreline before a 911 caller reported hearing him call for help and jumped into the ocean to try to reach him, but could not.
According to Hawaii News Now, the first fire unit arrived near 84-1144 Farrington Highway at 12:24 a.m. and crews immediately began a shoreline search. Rescue personnel launched a boat to scan the ocean surface while Air 1 searched from above, but the search was suspended at 3:04 a.m. Crews returned at first light, and it was Air 1 that located the missing swimmer at about 6:54 a.m., after which rescue personnel retrieved him and transferred him to emergency medical services and the Honolulu Police Department at 7:11 a.m. All Honolulu Fire Department personnel were accounted for, and no injuries among responders were reported.
A Coastline Known for Hidden Danger
Makaha Beach Park draws surfers from around the world for its big-wave breaks, but the same stretch of shoreline carries serious risk for swimmers. The beach features a steep shoreline profile, powerful shorebreak, and currents moving toward its rocky southern point, with strong rip currents during large winter swells, according to Safe to Swim Hawaii.
In Saturday's case, Honolulu Fire Department crews searched overnight, and the swimmer was later transferred to emergency medical services and the Honolulu Police Department. Hoodline has reported that the Honolulu Ocean Safety Department was established as an independent city agency following a May 2024 City Council resolution and voter approval.
The Risk of a Rescue Attempt Gone Wrong
The bystander who entered the surf to try to save the missing swimmer illustrates a danger ocean safety officials have flagged repeatedly. Water safety specialists and ocean safety officials emphasize that people who enter open water to rescue struggling swimmers without flotation devices face severe risks of exhaustion and secondary drowning, turning single-victim emergencies into multi-person rescues, Hoodline has reported.
HFD's overnight response included Air 1 searching from above and a rescue boat scanning the ocean surface. Air 1 located the swimmer after crews resumed the search at first light.
Part of a Broader Pattern Along the Leeward Coast
Saturday's recovery comes just weeks after another close call on the same stretch of coastline. On September 21, a Honolulu Ocean Safety lifeguard found a pulseless swimmer on land roughly 150 yards down the beach from Tower 43A along the Waianae Coast; the man regained consciousness after CPR, Hoodline previously reported in its piece on the Māʻili Tower rescue.
The incident also fits into a larger statewide pattern. Hawaii has the second-highest resident drowning rate in the nation, and drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death for tourists and for local children ages 1 to 15, according to the Hawaii Department of Health.
In response to the toll, Governor Josh Green signed legislation in May 2024 establishing May 15 as official Hawaiʻi Water Safety Day to promote drowning prevention statewide, and in January 2026 the state Department of Land and Natural Resources announced plans to reactivate a multi-agency beach safety task force, dormant for 14 years, to re-evaluate hazard signage at public beaches where roughly 800 people drowned over the preceding decade.
