MEDIA RELEASE

A 63-year-old man died while surfing Saturday morning in waters off Lighthouse Road in Halaula.

He has been identified As John Willard of Waikoloa.

In response to a 10:16 a.m. call Saturday reporting an unresponsive man at a surf spot known as “Lighthouse,” officers learned that Willard had not been surfing long when he caught a wave and disappeared. Other surfers in the area went to investigate. They found Willard floating face down in the water and took him to shore.

Fire rescue personnel retrieved him from the area using a helicopter to carry him to a waiting ambulance. He was taken to Kohala Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:23 a.m.

The case has been classified as a coroner’s inquest. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death.