A tourist from Canada was rescued after accidentally driving a rental Jeep off a Hawaii cliff

HONOLULU– A tourist driving on the southern tip of Hawaii’s Big Island in the early morning darkness accidentally drove his rented Jeep off a cliff, but was able to swim to shore until firefighters pulled him up with a rope and a helicopter.

The man was treated for facial injuries and mild hypothermia after Sunday’s rescue, the Hawaii County Fire Department said in a news release.

Firefighters, police and the U.S. Coast Guard responded to the cliffs of South Point in Naalehu around 3:45 a.m. Sunday for a report of a swimmer in distress in the ocean, the release said.

He swam about 100 meters to shore at the bottom of a cliff that the fire department estimated was 15.24 to 18.28 meters high.

Big Island resident Michael Moody was camping nearby to go spearfishing when the commotion of the rescue woke him up. By then, the tourist was already in the water, Moody said Thursday.

The road there is dangerous for those unfamiliar with it, he said.

“It goes from a major highway to a dirt road,” he said. “And that’s only about 30.48 meters long and then it gets really steep, and that’s only about 6 meters long. And then that’s the edge.”

Police told KITV that the man, 27, was visiting from Canada.

“There are terrible things that happen because tourists don’t know what they’re doing,” Moody said.

The rescue required 16 people and could have been dangerous for those involved because of high surf in the area, Mayor Mitch Roth said.

“A lot of resources,” Roth said. “It sounds like a careless act.”

Although it is known by locals as a fishing spot, it is not a popular destination for tourists — especially at that hour, Roth said.

“I’m not sure what he was doing,” Roth said. “If you’re in an unfamiliar area… be careful of your surroundings.”