Maui man is honored
for ocean rescue

WAILUKU » Wade Kamaka said he and his family were about to leave a South Maui beach when a man ran up to them and asked for help in saving his wife and sister-in-law, who were drifting out to sea while swimming.

The Maui Fire Department and Fire & Public Safety Commission awarded the Kahu Ola Award to Kamaka this week for rescuing the two women in February. The award honors heroic individuals who go beyond the call of duty in saving another person's life.

"Were it not for Wade Kamaka, one woman would have surely lost her life," said Maui Fire Chief Carl Kaupalolo, "as the two swimmers were quite hysterical at the time, and their panic could have caused them to drown. Kamaka's efforts brought them both safely to shore."

Kamaka, a guard at Maui Community Correctional Center, said he just did what he hoped others might do if his family needed help.

"I'm just glad everything worked out well and nobody lost their life," said Kamaka, a former Waianae resident.

Kamaka said ocean conditions were beautiful that midmorning on Feb. 19, then suddenly became "treacherous," with wind-blown and choppy waves.

Kamaka said the two women from Redmond, Wash., were a little more than 100 yards from shore, and he borrowed a boy's boogie board to paddle out to them.

"They were really hysterical. They started to panic a little bit," he said.

Both women had boogie boards, but one lost hers, so he gave his boogie board to her, he said.

Kamaka said that at his request they moved to a nearby reef area where the women could cling to the rocks.

Later they kicked parallel to the shoreline until they found an area where the current was moving toward land and a rocky coastline at Keawakapu.

"Other than scrapes and wana (sea urchin), there was no medical concern. Everything was OK," he said.