LIHUE — Being a lifesaver is around 1 percent bravery and 99 percent knowing what to do when the time comes.
For Daniel Ikaika Hebron-Woodward, a lifetime of water activity on Kauai made him the right person in the right place at the right time 5 p.m. March 19 at Shipwreck Beach near the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort.
Natalie Mar, 21, of Los Angeles, a senior at the University of Southern California, was on Kauai with friends for spring break. They heard of the cliffs on the South Shore and wanted to dive. Mar hit water incorrectly and injured her back and was unable to swim or move her arms and legs.
Woodward and some friends were surfing and hanging out when they decided to jump from the cliffs. As they approached, he said a young woman who was with another group jumped and landed awkwardly.
She was obviously hurt and in a lot of pain, he said. He saw someone nearby with a boogie board and persuaded him to hand it over for the rescue.
Mar appeared very upset and was experiencing severe stomach and lower back pain. After reaching her, Woodward said he calmed her down and maintained eye contact to make sure they weren’t dilated and to help keep her conscious.
“I got her on the board and just kept saying, ‘I got you, nothing is going to happen,’” Woodward said.
The waves were breaking around 15 yards from shore and they pounded them off the board. He was able to walk her the rest of the way to shore.
Woodward escorted Mar to an area on the beach to lay on her stomach. He used a towel to keep her from overheating.
“Around 10 minutes later she was crying and everyone was surrounding her,” Woodward said. “I said, ‘Be honest, if you need an ambulance, don’t be a tough guy, there is nothing to be ashamed of, and finally she said OK. So we called and they came and took her away.”
That was the last Woodward saw or heard from Mar. Two days later, her vacation was over and he wanted to hear if she was OK.
“I am so thankful that Ikaika was there,” Mar said. “Through all the yelling and panic that was going on, he was right there in front of me in just a blink of an eye.
He didn’t hesitate for one second. Like my very own Michael Phelps, he swam me back to shore in less than five minutes, during which he spoke with calming and encouraging words.
Sue Kanoho, executive director, Kauai Visitors & Convention Bureau, said people should never jump off rocks because it’s dangerous.
“Unfortunately, in this age of social media and You Tube videos, people see it and want to imitate it,” Kanoho said. “We certainly would hate to see people advocating such behavior that could injure our residents and visitors.”
Woodward was recently hired full time at Delta Airlines and still works part time at Mariachi’s restaurant in Nawiliwili. He stays with his mother in Hanamaulu. She has cancer and he wants to help out, and especially with his little brother and sister.
“I can’t let this get the best of them,” he said.
Woodward, who grew up on the North Shore, said keeping to himself in the water is the norm, but when an incident happens, he said it’s like he’s a different person.
“I have been around water my whole life, I like to surf, and the rest is common sense,” the 21-year-old said. “I am not going to watch someone in the water drown. I could not witness it or live with something like that.”
