Skydiver, 58, who died on Maui identified as Wailuku man

Nov. 9—A 58-year-old man who died Monday during a solo skydiving accident on Maui has been identified as Robert "Rob " Nunes of Wailuku, according to members of the skydiving community.

The Maui Police Department said officers responded to a report of a skydiving accident at the Hana Airport at about 3 :05 p.m.

When they arrived, officers administered life-saving measures on the skydiver until medics arrived and took over but those measures were unsuccessful, Maui police said.

A police preliminary investigation revealed the 58-year-old man was on a solo skydiving jump when he struck the ground upon landing.

Nunes was wearing skydiving gear, a helmet and a deployed parachute at the time.

Members of the skydiving community said Nunes was an experienced skydiver with more than 1, 000 skydives.

Close friend Mark Denny, who has known Nunes for more than 30 years, said, "Everybody loved him."

"He was like my little brother, " Denny said during a phone interview today from Florida.

The two began skydiving together in Florida in the 1980s.

An investigation into the skydiving accident is ongoing.