54-year-old Hilo man dead after possiblly drowning in Puna area known as ‘Mermaid Pond’

A 54-year-old Hilo man is dead after possibly drowning last weekend in an area known as “Mermaid Pond” in Puna.

No foul play is suspected; however, Hawai‘i Police Department initiated a coroner’s inquest to determine exactly what caused the man, identified as Royden Daikawa, to die.

Hawai‘i Fire Department personnel responded at 12:19 p.m. March 1 to the area along the coastline of Government Beach Road in Pāhoa after receiving a report about a man struggling to swim ashore after being swept off rocks by a rogue wave.

Daikawa was about 100 yards from shore. Fire crews were able to get him out of the water and back to land, but he was unresponsive.

He was transported to Hilo Benioff Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 1:33 p.m.

Through investigation, officers contacted family members at “Mermaid Pond,” who said they were at the water’s edge when Daikawa was swept into the ocean by a large wave while standing in front of a rocky mound and the wave crashed down behind the mound.

Anyone with any information regarding this incident is asked to contact Puna Patrol Officer Branden Watanabe at 808-935-3311 or via email at branden.watanabe@hawaiicounty.gov.