Lost kayak blamed in needless search

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

Greg Kiyuna and Derek Okamoto didn't realize they were the subjects of a search off Diamond Head yesterday until they heard about themselves on the 6 o'clock news.

The Coast Guard and Honolulu Fire Department launched a search around 4 p.m. when a blue- and-white kayak with a dive flag attached to it was found 1 1/2 miles offshore.

A Coast Guard H-65 Dolphin helicopter, the cutter Washington, and a 41-foot utility boat, as well as the Fire Department's Air One helicopter, were dispatched to search for the possible missing diver.

Meanwhile, Capt. Kenison Tejada, spokesman for the Fire Department, asked local TV stations to ask their viewers if anyone had lost a kayak. Soon after that plea was aired, Kiyuna received a call from his mother.

"She called me and I went, 'Eh, that might be us,'" said Kiyuna, 38.

Kiyuna and Okamoto had gone diving in Maunalua Bay yesterday morning. When they surfaced about three hours later, Okamoto's kayak was missing.

The two thought someone had stolen it, so they went to shore, where they notified a dive shop and placed notes on cars, asking that people watch for the kayak.

During the search, a firefighter found one of the notes and called Kiyuna. Once it was confirmed that the kayak was Okamoto's, the search was called off at 6:28 p.m.

Coast Guard spokeswoman Lauren Smith said the incident should serve as a lesson to any boater or kayaker who loses equipment.

"If you're going to abandon your kayak or if you lose your kayak, it's very important to let the Coast Guard or the Fire Department know so we don't launch a search for someone that's safe on shore," Smith said.