Two snorkelers taken to hospital in critical condition on Maui
Two snorkelers were rescued from Maui waters in separate incidents Tuesday, according to the Maui Fire Department.
In the first incident, reported at 8:25 a.m., emergency crews responded to a report of a person pulled unresponsive from the ocean at Kapalua Bay in West Maui. Fire and paramedic crews arrived eight minutes later and found a 76-year-old visitor from New Jersey on the beach and breathing on his own.
Witnesses said the man was snorkeling by himself when they noticed he had stopped moving. Bystanders pulled him to shore and gave him rescue breaths. Paramedics treated the man at the scene and transported him to Maui Memorial Medical Center in critical condition.
In the second incident, paramedics and firefighters responded to another report of an unresponsive person pulled from waters at Makena Landing in South Maui at about 4 p.m.
Bystanders found the man floating face down in the water, brought him to shore and were performing CPR when rescue crews arrived. The 55-year-old man from Vancouver, British Columbia was also snorkeling alone. Rescue crews continued CPR and transported the man to Maui Memorial Medical Center in critical condition.