Unknown man goes missing in waters of Wailuku River in Hilo

A search for a man who went missing early Tuesday afternoon in the fast moving waters of the Wailuku River in Hilo has been suspended.

The search was suspended nearly 4 hours after Hawaiʻi Fire Department personnel at the Kaʻūmana Fire Station received the initial report, and first responders were unable to locate the missing swimmer.

The swimmer in distress report came in at 1:04 p.m. Tuesday.

A witness at the scene told emergency personnel the unknown man was last seen about 10 minutes prior to their arrival nearly 30 minutes after receiving the call.

He became submerged underwater just before the river rapids below Peʻepeʻe Falls inside the Boiling Pots section of Wailuku River State Park and did not resurface.

Nine units responded, including Engine 4 and Chopper 1, along with 17 first responders and a Fire Prevention unit drone.

Chopper 1 searched by air from downstream up to where the swimmer was last seen. Two rescue divers searched the waters of the pond below the rapids.

Strong currents made the search effort extremely difficult and are thought to also be a contributing factor to why the man disappeared in the river’s waters.

The Fire Prevention drone was flown downstream from the location where the missing man was last known to be seen.

The search was suspended only after several more dive attempts and no signs of the swimmer were found during the canvass of the surrounding land, sea or air.

The last responding unit returned to quarters by 5:04 p.m.