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A man died Friday after being swept into the ocean while picking opihi at Cape Kumukahi Lighthouse in Puna.
Fire rescue personnel responded to the scene at 9:32 a.m. to find the man, likely in his 60s, unresponsive in waters off the lighthouse, according to the Hawaii Fire Department. Two bystanders assisted by moving the victim away from the rocky shoreline and were met by a lifeguard on a Jet Ski watercraft. The victim was then pulled from the water by Chopper 1 using a Billy Pugh net.
Fire officials said the man was flown to the lighthouse where medics determined he had no signs of life and turned the scene over to the Hawaii Police Department.