Woman dies after slipping from cliff and getting swept away, authorities say

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow/Gray News) - A 29-year-old woman died after she slipped from a cliff and got swept away in Hawaii early Saturday morning.

Kalai Reyes and her boyfriend Dylan Gapp were watching the waves together near Hawaii Paradise Park around 2 a.m. when she fell in the water, HNN reported.

Surprisingly, she survived the fall but didn’t survive the attempted rescue. After she fell, Gapp tried to help by throwing a raft. However, after clinging to the raft for nearly 45 minutes, she was pulled by the ocean’s current, according to authorities.

Gapp said he believes first responders could’ve done more to save her.

According to Hawaii County Police Capt. Todd Pataray, police responded, along with firefighters, within seven minutes. after receiving the call. Authorities said the fire truck was not required to carry ocean rescue equipment. Police also said it was too dark and dangerous for them to go into the water.

HNN also reported that the Hawaii Fire Department said it was too windy to fly its helicopter that night. The rescue boat had to come from Hilo about 15 miles up the coast.

“Her sitting on that raft screaming help. ‘What do I do now? What do I do now?’ And me telling her, ‘They are going to get you, they are going to get you.’ And they never came to get her,” he said.

Search crews found her body around 8 a.m. Sunday. Her body was recovered around four miles down the coast. She was pronounced dead later Sunday morning at the hospital.

“She was a loving, caring person,” said Gapp. “She loved her kids more than anything. She had a lot of fun. Lot of joy in life. She was always giggling, laughing.”

Foul play is not suspected. It’s being investigated as a possible drowning.

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