Hawaiʻi Police Department
Kaʻū District
Sergeant Zachary Fernando
Phone: 939-2520
Report No. C14025122
Media Release
A 53-year-old Puna man died Sunday (September 23) in waters off Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach.
Kaʻū Patrol officers responded to a 12:08 p.m. call Sunday reporting a possible drowning. When they arrived, they learned that 53-year-old Reginald Awaa of Mountain View had been diving with family when he became distressed. He was pulled from the water and Fire Department took him to Kaʻū hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:35 p.m.
The case has been classified as a coroner’s inquest. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death.