Rescuers free entangled whale

HONOLULU (AP) — A team led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration successfully freed an entangled humpback whale off Maui over the weekend.

The Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary said Monday a line of undetermined origin was caught in the whale’s mouth. The rope trailed about 120 feet behind the animal to a pair of buoys.

The sanctuary says the whale was in good condition, but the entanglement would have interfered with its ability to feed and would have threatened its life.

A Pacific Whale Foundation vessel first spotted the entangled whale Sunday morning. The response team freed the animal by midday.

Man, 19, dies after cliff jump

HONOLULU (AP) — A 19-year-old man who was swept out to sea after jumping off the “Spitting Caves” outside Maunalua Bay has died.

Honolulu police said lifeguards who responded to the Saturday emergency found the man about 10 to 12 feet under water.

He was rushed to a hospital in critical condition, and later died.

The man’s name has not been released.

Spitting Cave is a popular spot for cliff-jumping in the Portlock area of Hawaii Kai. When waves roll into the cave and hit the back wall, whitewater is “spit” back out of the mouth of the cave.

Dozens of Kauai hikers stranded

LIHUE, Kauai (AP) — Rescuers say 60 to 70 hikers were forced to spend the night in a Kauai valley after being stranded by rising waters.

Kauai County fire officials say an estimated 90 hikers were stranded at Hanakapiai on the Napali Coast Sunday night. They were unable to cross a rising stream.

Rescuers were able to fly 23 people to safety before dark. The remaining hikers spent the night in the valley with two rescuers.

A rescue team on Monday morning was preparing to help the remaining hikers out of the valley.

Help sought for Hawaiian roll

HONOLULU (AP) — The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is canvassing communities in an effort to expand a roll of qualified Native Hawaiians interested in participating in their own government.

The office is recruiting volunteers to knock on doors and make phone calls to register people for the roll.

The roll initiative launched in 2012 after enactment of a state law recognizing Native Hawaiians as the only indigenous people of the islands.

More than 120,000 names are already on the roll. The deadline to sign up is May 1.