BRIEF: Large Wave Injures Couple in Tidal Pond

A married couple swimming in a tidal pond on the Puna coast Sunday afternoon were injured when they were hit by a large wave.

Both the man, 74, and woman, 63, were able to get out of the pond on their own, said Acting Capt. Howard Hose of the Pahoa Fire Station. The pond was located at Orr’s Beach along the Wa‘awa‘a beach road.

Fire Department paramedics arriving on the scene at 3:58 p.m. treated both for possible spinal injuries. They were airlifted by the department’s Chopper 1 to Papio Park at the end of Kahakai Boulevard in Hawaiian Beaches and then transported by ambulance to Hilo Medical Center.