Woman Dies in Hawaii as Wave Sweeps Her Into Ocean

A 33-year-old District woman died in Hawaii on Sunday when she was swept into the Pacific Ocean from rocks at the water's edge, authorities said.

Heather Westphal and her sister-in-law, Tonya Cataldo, 39, of Parker, Colo., became victims of high surf and strong current as they walked on the north shore of Kauai, the northernmost of the islands, a Kauai government spokeswoman said.

The spot from which the two were pulled is "a very dangerous area" at this time of year, said the spokeswoman, Mary Daubert. "We feel so sad."

Westphal lived in Northwest Washington and was manager of membership marketing at the headquarters of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, located in Fairfax County.

She was "so respected by fire chiefs all across the country," said Mark Light, the group's executive director.

Light said he understood that Westphal and relatives on her husband's side had planned to vacation in Hawaii. She and her husband seemed to enjoy the beach, and she was "a very outdoorsy type," he said.

Westphal and her sister-in-law were part of a group of eight who came near the water's edge in the Princeville area on Kauai's north shore, authorities said. One of the women was knocked down by a large wave, and the other went to help her, said Clayton Arinaga, an assistant chief of the Kauai police department. "Another wave came, and both got swept out," he said.

Westphal's husband "attempted to rescue them, but the current was so strong that he returned to shore," Kauai officials said in a news release. Jason Westphal barely made it back, Arinaga said.

Firefighters and lifeguards were called from the nearest town, and firefighters swam out to retrieve one of the women, then waited for lifeguards to get to them.

The place where the incident occurred is known as Queen's Bath, which is described by a tourist Web site as a natural ocean pool reached by descending a steep trail on the side of a bluff and then continuing along lava rock. According to the site, swimming there is dangerous, especially during winter and high surf.

The National Weather Service in Hawaii said yesterday morning that surf heights of 14 to 18 feet would continue throughout the day along Kauai's north-facing shores. Signs at the head of the trail to the water warn "proceed at your own risk," the county spokeswoman said.

Staff researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.