Kailua-Kona man dies after cliff jump rescue at Lekeleke Bay

A cliff jump at Lekeleke Bay turned deadly for a 26-year-old Kailua-Kona man, a stark reminder that the End of the World can become dangerous in seconds when strong current meets exposed shoreline.

Hawaiʻi Police Department officers said Mathen Jackson was identified as the victim in the April 11 incident. A witness said Jackson had been eating with a friend when he jumped off the cliff. He became distressed in the water, and a friend called 911 shortly after 5 p.m. Kona patrol officers responded to the scene and found a swimmer in distress at the Keauhou shoreline.

The rescue quickly became a group effort. Jackson’s friend and a passerby entered the water, got him to a nearby tour boat, and CPR was started on board. An automated external defibrillator was used before the boat carried him to Keauhou Pier, where Hawaiʻi Fire Department personnel took over life-saving measures. He was then transported to Kona Community Hospital in critical condition and pronounced dead at 6:36 p.m.

Police said a coroner’s inquest investigation has been opened and an autopsy was ordered to determine the exact cause of death. Investigators do not suspect foul play.

The death adds to a painful pattern at Lekeleke Bay, also known as End of the World. A 36-year-old visitor died after jumping off the cliff there in February 2016. In January 2022, a man in his 30s was rescued at the bay amid high surf and rough conditions, part of a stretch when five ocean rescues were reported along the Kona Coast in just a few days. At that time, Mayor Mitch Roth warned that conditions were hazardous even for advanced swimmers and urged extreme caution.

The shoreline’s danger comes from more than the jump itself. The area combines cliff access, rough entry points and strong nearshore current, which can turn a recreational outing into a life-threatening emergency before rescuers can even reach the water. This latest case also lands in a state where drowning remains a recurring public-health problem, including 47 fatal drownings statewide in 2017, according to Hawaiʻi Department of Health trend data.

Keauhou Bay is also undergoing broader planning through Kamehameha Schools’ Keauhou Bay Management Plan, which covers about 29 acres and is meant to shift commercial activity away from culturally sensitive areas while building a place-based cultural and educational center. Even as that work moves forward, the shoreline remains a heavily used and hazardous place where a single decision can have deadly consequences.