18-Year-Old Konawaena Graduate Dies During Freediving in Captain Cook

HONOLULU (Hawaii News Now) – An 18-year-old man from Kailua-Kona, Joven Young, lost his life on Tuesday after he went missing during a freediving trip off Captain Cook. Young was diving with a friend near Pebble Beach at the end of Kaohe Road when the friend realized he could no longer see him.

The friend alerted a nearby boat, which contacted the U.S. Coast Guard. Authorities began a search led by Kona patrol officers around 1 p.m. on October 13. Divers from the Hawaii Fire Department discovered Young underwater at approximately 3:46 p.m. He was taken to Kona Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:10 p.m. A coroner’s inquest investigation has been initiated, although foul play is not suspected.

Young, who had moved from Oahu to Kona in ninth grade, graduated from Konawaena High School, where he was a four-year basketball player. His girlfriend’s mother, Keri Blas, mentioned in a statement that Young was passionate about diving, fishing, and surfing. As a senior, he had committed his life to Jesus and was planning to join the Coast Guard in January.

He is survived by his parents, Tracy and Jason Young, sister Makenna, brother Jordy, and his girlfriend Kalei Blas. Blas shared that they had planned to build their lives together after she graduated from nursing school and he joined the Coast Guard. Friends and former teammates remember him fondly, including Matthew Clark, who described Young as a talented player and someone who deeply cared for his friends.

Former coach Donald Awa expressed his sadness, recalling that the team won a BIIF championship the previous year and describing Young as a good person who did not deserve such an accident. A GoFundMe account has been established to assist Young’s family during this difficult time.