26-year-old scuba diver from Honolulu victim of possible drowning at Honokōhau Harbor

A 26-year-old O‘ahu man possibly drowned the afternoon of April 15 in Kona while diving at Honokōhau Harbor.

Hawai’i Police Department identified the victim as Charles Hutchinson of Honolulu.

Police initiated a coroner’s inquest and ordered an autopsy to determine Hutchinson’s exact cause of death.

No foul play is suspected at this time.

Kona patrol officers responded just after noon April 15 to a report of a scuba diver in distress at the harbor. A witness reported to officers that Hutchinson was diving offshore near Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport when he encountered difficulty.

The Honolulu man was brought aboard a fishing vessel, where later cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, was initiated and an automated external defibrillator, or AED, was used after he became unresponsive.

Hutchinson was transported by the boat to Honokōhau Harbor, where Hawai‘i Fire Department personnel continued lifesaving measures before taking him to Kona Community Hospital in critical condition.

He was pronounced dead just before 1 p.m.

Police ask anyone with any information regarding this incident to contact Kona Patrol Officer Karl Nickel at 808-935-3311 or via email at karl.nickel@hawaiipolice.gov.