LIHUE — Rescuers over the weekend called off their search for a California woman swept out to sea from a picturesque but dangerous spot on Kauai’s north shore.
LIHUE — Rescuers over the weekend called off their search for a California woman swept out to sea from a picturesque but dangerous spot on Kauai’s north shore.
The Garden Island newspaper reported 23-year-old Yayun Cheng was the seventh drowning victim in Kauai this year.
Cheng was attempting to climb rocks near an area known as Queen’s Bath shortly before noon on Wednesday, when a wave came up and swept her out to sea.
She was last seen unresponsive in the water.
Firefighters, lifeguards, police and the U.S. Coast Guard all participated in the three-day search. They suspended their search on Saturday. Volunteers with the Life’s Bridges grief counseling service are helping Cheng’s family.
There is no lifeguard station on the remote and rocky shoreline of Queen’s Bath.
The surf is most dangerous from November through March, but officials urge caution year-round because the slippery lava rock beach is hazardous.
The ocean can be relatively calm at the spot, with sea turtles wandering peacefully amid tide pools filled with clear water.
But rough waves also sweep people away. A sign with skull and crossbones at the entrance to the beach keeps a tally of the number of people who have drowned there.
