Tourist dies
below Maui poolsA 41-year-old man is swept
out to sea in the same area
as three previous drownings
A 41-year-old California man died after being swept out to sea while saving his son from drowning in the fast current of Palikea Stream in Haleakala National Park on Maui.
It was the fourth drowning at the national park since May 2002.
Kevin Oakley of Sun Valley was swimming in the Pools of Oheo, also called the "Seven Sacred Pools," with his wife Michelle, and their children Brielle and Austin, ages 11 and 7, at about 6 p.m. Monday, park officials said in a news release.
When his son's slipper floated away, the boy went after it, causing Oakley to swim after him, officials said.
Oakley caught up to his son and held him in a bear hug as the current carried the pair through a narrow, rocky section of the stream that leads into the ocean, officials said.
Dean Miller of Placentia, Calif., an emergency medical technician who was on the edge of the stream, swam out and grabbed the boy, but was unable to reach Oakley, according to the release.
Oakley was carried farther into the ocean where he was last seen swimming in waters with 4- to 6-foot waves.
Maui Fire Department's Air One helicopter found Oakley's body about 400 yards from shore on the Hana side of Oheo Gulch, Assistant Chief Gordon Cordeiro said.
"No Swimming" signs were posted along the pools since Monday morning, said Sharon Ringsven, spokeswoman for Haleakala National Park. Ringsven said the signs are put up when water levels are high or flash floods are occurring.
"Rain squalls have come through the area for the past several days, which has kept the water level up," she said.
Several signs, which talk about flash flooding, were also posted in the area, she said, adding that some visitors read the signs, but go in the water anyway. "How people decide to recreate is at their own risk," she said.
In April, flash floods swept a Louisville, Ky., man and his 8-year-old daughter over falls in Palikea stream. The two drowned.
In May 2002, a 42-year-old New York woman drowned near the Pools of Oheo when she slipped and was washed over a small waterfall.
Cordeiro said, "Without warning, flood water can come down into the pools. All you hear is a slight rumbling, and all of a sudden, the current is stronger and water level is higher," he said, adding that many visitors are not aware of this natural hazard.
Though there was no flash flood at Palikea Stream on Monday, Ringsven said, a group of Seattle and San Diego visitors survived being swept up by a flash flood near Milepost 11 on the Hana Highway on Monday afternoon.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
