According to media reports Wednesday, a young Berkeley girl and her father died Saturday at a coastal hiking and nature-watching spot in Hawaii, apparently swept away by a rogue wave, according to authorities and local news reports.
According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser., the victims were identified as Mark Hornor, 46, and his 6-year-old daughter, Mina, by the Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office. Officials said the two were walking along the rocky shoreline at the Makapuu Tide Pools on Oahu when the girl fell into the ocean and her father jumped in to rescue her; both were swept away by waves.
The pair were brought back to shore, unresponsive, by lifeguards on personal watercraft, and taken in critical condition to a hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
As a way to help the family with funeral costs, a website has been set up for the family at http://posthope.org/blowing-kisses-to-mark-and-meena/journal.
Mina was the youngest of three daughters of Hornor, an assistant general counsel at Vodafone Americas, and his wife, Jessamy, who is from Hawaii.
“He was just a fantastic human being. He jumped in, tried to save her. And I don’t think he wanted to come back empty-handed,” said Hornor’s brother, Matthew, according to the news site HawaiiNewsNow.
Hornor was an avid cyclist and surfer. Last year, he biked 900 miles across the United Kingdom for charity, his brother said, according to HawaiiNewsNow.
Hawaii tide pools not a new problem
Saturday’s tragedy has prompted renewed calls from officials to use caution at the increasingly popular site, the news site continued, quoting a Honolulu Emergency Services Department spokeswoman who said wind and surf conditions were not favorable around the time of the tragedy.
The Makapuu Tide Pools have been the scene of several other recent incidents.
A teenage girl was seriously injured last month when she was knocked over by a large wave. A 12-year-old girl was seriously injured last year. And in 2011, a father and his 11-year-old daughter drowned, according to HawaiiNewsNow.
On Monday, the state of Hawaii issued a warning telling people to stay away from the Makapuu tide pools for the time being, HawaiiNewsNow reported, adding that there were waves in the area generated by a former tropical storm, Celia.
