On April 17, 2026, the Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) received a 911 call at 5:45 p.m. for an overdue diver reported near Mokauea Fishing Village in Kalihi and responded with 6 units, staffed with 18 personnel. The first unit arrived on scene at 5:53 p.m., established command, and began the search from the shoreline. Air 1 searched by air while HFD’s Rescue Boat and Ocean Safety Department’s (OSD) Jet Ski searched by sea.
It was reported that a male in his 30s, planned to kayak out to Mokauea Island at 8:00 a.m. to dive and return around noon. 911 was activated after he did not return. At approximately 6:32 p.m., Air 1 located a kayak along the rocks which did not belong to the diver. At approximately 9:10 p.m., a United States Coast Guard (USCG) helicopter located the diver approximately two miles offshore and the diver was transported by boat back to shore.
The wide area search by air, land, and sea encompassed the shoreline and ocean surface from Sand Island to Barber’s Point and up to four miles offshore.
This operation was a collaborative effort involving the HFD, OSD, State of Hawaii Airports Rescue Firefighters, and the USCG.
All HFD personnel were accounted for with no injuries.