2 opihi pickers rescued along Hamakua Coast

KAILUA-KONA — Two men were rescued by Hawaii Fire Department personnel Sunday morning.

The department reported its rescue team extracted the men from a cliff on the Hamakua Coast.

The parties climbed down a 100-foot steep embankment and utilized rope system to scale down another 100-foot vertical cliff to pick opihi, but could not come back up. The first man was found approximately 50 feet down on a cliff face.

HFD rescue personnel used a rope system around 1 a.m. to pick up the first stranded man on the cliff face, while the second man was raised from the shoreline to safety.

Throughout the rescue near Waipunalei, heavy rain contributed to the hazardous rescue, the department said. Neither victim had injuries requiring transport to a medical facility.