2 visitors to Hawaii dead after being swept out to sea

HONOLULU ( KHON ) – Two people who were swept out to sea by a large wave on the North Shore of Oahu have died, authorities in Honolulu have confirmed.

The incident took place Monday morning at Ke Iki beach. There is no lifeguard tower at the beach, but lifeguards do patrol the area. Safety officials said there were signs posted for beachgoers, warning of the strong current and dangerous shorebreak.

Susie Jett, 72, from Oklahoma City, was one of the victims who died after being pulled into the ocean, her family said. Jett’s daughter, 41-year-old Laura Rich, was also pulled in. Rich is currently in the hospital.

“They’re in paradise, they’re on this beautiful Hawaiian beach. It is one of the most beautiful places on Earth and all of sudden, boom, within an instant, this giant wave came over and their loved one is gone,” Jessica Lani Rich, president and CEO of Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii, said.

The organization says it’s helping the victims’ families, including the partner, a 63-year-old man from northern California who also died after being pulled by the current.

“The joy turns to pain and the grief is so heavy,” said Rich. “One of them, one of the family members said to me, ‘I feel like I only have half of a heart now. Half of me is gone.'”

Lt. John Hoogsteden with Honolulu Ocean Safety has said the beach is a “dynamic area” where “sand gets washed away during the wintertime,” making it difficult to install a permanent lifeguard tower. Still, Ocean Safety’s Acting Director Kurt Lager has said the department will look into towers at Ke Iki, as well as other areas of the north short with high rates of accidents.

“It’s just a bad situation,” Hoogsteden said.

Lifeguards in the North Shore say the situation may be more dangerous for visitors who may not be aware of the potential dangers of an area or the ocean in general. Since 2020, lifeguards at Ke Iki have pulled six unresponsive people from the waters in the area and had four near-drownings.

Rich also acknowledged that there were indeed lifeguards who jumped into action at the time of the accident.

“(The victim’s family) would like to thank the Honolulu Police Department, the EMS, the lifeguards who were on the beach,” she said. “And some of the people, total strangers, they said, came out to help.”

“I think the more visitor education that we can get out, the less accidents we’re gonna have and the less tragedies we’re gonna have as well,” she added.

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