Hanna Wanerskog was a 20-year-old from Sweden who traveled to Oahu for a three-month internship with Surfing the Nations, doing community service like feeding the homeless and mentoring at-risk youth. On the evening of February 7, 2020, she and two friends stood in ankle-deep water at Waimea Bay Beach Park on the North Shore when a powerful wave swept all three into the ocean. The friends managed to return to shore, but Hanna was pulled farther out and was last seen treading water at about 6:35 p.m. before disappearing from view.

A coordinated search followed immediately. The U.S. Coast Guard, Honolulu Fire Department, Honolulu Police Department, and Ocean Safety teams searched for three days using helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, cutters, jet skis, and ground teams, covering more than 485 square miles amid large swells and heavy rain. Despite exhaustive, around-the-clock efforts, no trace of Hanna was found and the active search was suspended. The case is described as a tragic accident that underscores the ocean’s unpredictability.

If anyone was at Waimea Bay that evening or has information about Hanna’s last moments, please share what is known.