Kalihi man drowns
off PortlockAn afternoon dip with co-workers
ends in tragedy for a swimmer
A 20-year-old Kalihi man drowned yesterday afternoon and another was in serious condition after they and a co-worker went swimming in choppy waters off an area called China Walls in Portlock.
The victims' co-worker and friend Gavin Sabado, 27, said the three jumped into the water shortly before 3 p.m. yesterday and two minutes later, "good-size waves" came up.
Sabado identified the dead man as 20-year-old John Sylva.
"I tried to push him to the wall, so he can climb up," Sabado said, noting Sylva clung to him for help. "He started panicking. He was all freaked out."
"He was holding onto me, pushing me down," said the 235-pound, 5-foot-5-inch Sabado, who described himself as a strong swimmer. "I was pushing him, grabbing his skin, pulling his hair, pushing him to shore."
Sabado said he and Sylva drifted from the wall to the point. He yelled for help, and a female swimmer tried to help.
A pool cleaner at a nearby house and a man on the cliffs jumped in and pulled in the other man, Jesse Mendoza, 30, of Ewa, but by then, Sylva was underwater.
Pool cleaner Van Whiteman, 41, and the gardeners heard screams for help.
Whiteman saw Mendoza floundering on his back, so he jumped in along with another man who was sunbathing. The gardener threw a lifesaver in and pulled him in at 2:57 p.m., firefighters said.
Whiteman said Mendoza was semi-conscious.
"Gavin kept saying, 'No, it's not that guy, there's somebody on the bottom,'" Whiteman said.
Lifeguards, firefighters and the Coast Guard scoured the area for Sylva after receiving the 2:55 p.m. call.
Divers and rescue personnel using helicopters, boats and a Jet Ski searched for Sylva until he washed onto a shallow reef in ankle-high water about 4:20 p.m. He was found in a cove just 20 yards offshore behind 60 Hanapepe Loop, fire officials said.
Lifeguards using a Jet Ski brought him to shore, where he was pronounced dead.
Mendoza was taken to the Queen's Medical Center in serious condition.
Ocean conditions made the rescue difficult, with strong surges and choppy waves of 4 feet to 5 feet, a fire official said.
A fire captain who assisted in the rescue said it is difficult to get out of the water at the rocky China Walls area.
The men worked at Quick Move, a moving company for a furniture store, and were close friends.