‘ANINI — An 81-year-old male visitor died Monday afternoon in waters off ‘Anini Beach.
‘ANINI — An 81-year-old male visitor died Monday afternoon in waters off ‘Anini Beach.
He has been identified as James Pirkle Jr., of California.
At approximately 12:40 p.m. on Monday, Hanalei firefighters and ocean safety officers were dispatched to ‘Anini Beach for a man who was reported unresponsive in the water.
Ocean safety officers with the Wanini Roving Patrol Unit arrived on scene and found the unresponsive man face down in the water wearing a snorkel mask, about 100 yards from shore. They brought him to shore and immediately began administering CPR.
AMR medics arrived shortly after and took over advance resuscitation efforts, but the man could not be revived. He was later pronounced dead by a medical professional.
An autopsy is pending to determine the exact cause of death, but foul play is not suspected.
Volunteers with Life’s Bridges, a grief counseling service, were contacted to offer support to the man’s family.
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What kind of, “Snorkel mask,” was he wearing?