Two Kauai County lifeguards rescued four island residents Monday morning after their small rigid-hull inflatable capsized in “Two Door Cave” in Na Pali. Ocean Safety Officers Mark McKamey and Chris Pico used a jetski to rescue the four boaters, who
Two Kauai County lifeguards rescued four island residents Monday morning after their small rigid-hull inflatable capsized in “Two Door Cave” in Na Pali.
Ocean Safety Officers Mark McKamey and Chris Pico used a jetski to rescue the four boaters, who were clinging to a rock ledge inside, dodging three- to four-foot waves and trying not to get swept into the turbulent wash.
Former lifeguard supervisor Liko Hookano, of Liko Kauai Cruises, learned of the situation while passing the area with a tour group and called the operation the most dramatic he had ever been part of. Aboard his 49-foot power catamaran, the Na Pali Kai, were 29 passengers, some of whom captured the rescue on video.
Two Door Cave is located a few miles past Kee Beach, in Waiahuakua Valley. During the summer months, kayakers and small boat captains can motor through and see a waterfall that empties into the cave, but even in late May, there are still some swells that can make the area hazardous, Hookano said.
McKamey said that lifeguards have been trained to handle such rescues, but it was still difficult because Na Pali’s coastline can create a very hazardous situation.
One of the stranded boaters managed to shoot a flare from the cave. A Captain Andy’s Sailing Adventure boat captain saw the flash and called for help via radio.
Capt. Andy’s found out that the people who were stranded couldn’t jump back into the water and swim to a safer area. Despite bad radio reception in the area, they used an emergency VHF channel to call the U.S. Coast Guard out of Honolulu, who then relayed the message back to Kauai.
“They were in the back of the cave standing on a shelf. They couldn’t get back into the water because the waves were slamming into the cave and that was a good decision,” Hookano added, noting that when he arrived, the tide was on its way up, swells were recorded at 3-4 feet, and conditions were windy and bumpy. At about 10:15, the lifeguards arrived.
“We were just hoping we could get the victims out of there alive,” McKamey said. “We were worried about our lives but more so about the [people trapped in the cave.]”
“As they first went in, they lost control of the ski and they actually got tossed around and got separated from the ski, and had to get back to it. I saw the fear on the faces, and I wanted to help them,” Hookano said.
Hookano helped McKamey, the driver, watch for swells and time his entry into the cave. On the second attempt, McKamey dropped off Pico, the “grabber,” inside the cave, and they had just seconds to get a victim off the rocky shelf, onto the jetski and out of the cave, before another swell could come up.
After several trips in and out of the cave, they were able to get all four out of danger. No one was injured badly, and Hookano said he brought them to safety at Tunnels Beach in Haena as a backup fire rescue crew was responding. The four patients were checked out by American Medical Response paramedics and none needed medical treatment. Hookano said boat captain Joe Rabut was able to telephone the emergency services dispatchers and let them know the lifeguards had pulled out all the victims.
“I’m really proud of them, because that’s what public service is all about,” Hookano said.
In a separate incident, two lifeguards out of Poipu responded to a distress call for a diver off Old Koloa Landing. Ocean Safety Officers Roy Yamagata and Aaron Habermann rescued the teen-age boy, who was released with no injuries.
