Missing Swedish Woman: Search Resumes For Volunteer Swept To Sea In Hawaii

Authorities from multiple agencies resumed their search Saturday for a Swedish woman who was swept to sea at Waimea Bay.

First responders reportedly combed the waters of the Hawaiian locale for Hanna Wanerskog, 20, well into the night. Wanerskog was last seen on the beach Friday night around 6:30 p.m. with two friends when all three were struck by a surprise wave.

Wanerskog went missing at sea well after the shifts for lifeguards had ended. In Oahu, where Waimea Bay is located, the workday for most lifeguards is 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and the distress call was made for Wanerskog and the others at 7 p.m.

“We likely wouldn’t have been doing this rescue if it had happened during lifeguard hours,” Honolulu EMS Department spokesperson Shayne Enright said. “They would have seen her and gotten her out. This is exactly why we need to extend lifeguard hours.”

According to Enright, the waves at the bay would have been between 4-6 feet when Wanerskog went into the water. Later, during the night, they likely reached between 15-20 feet.

Wanerskog was in Hawaii as part of a three-month internship with the volunteer organization, Surfing the Nation. She had been at Waimea Bay to celebrate the birthday of a friend she made through the position.

“All we can do is hope and pray. We also want the community to pray,” Logan Jacobs, a leadership member of Surfing the Nations, said in a statement. “The mood is pretty somber. (The Surfing the Nations interns) are going through a lot of trauma right now and there are grief counselors on site. She’s got family on the other side of the world who are grieving, too.”

Waimea Bay is located roughly 35 miles northwest of Honolulu on the northern side of Oahu.