"There are no reports of anybody missing or overdue," said Chief Petty Officer Marsha Delaney of the Coast Guard. "It may have just been balloons."

Kaimuki High School, whose colors are green and gold, began its graduation ceremonies yesterday at the nearby Waikiki Shell at 5 p.m.

Two hours later, witnesses described seeing a possible hang glider in trouble heading out to sea.

"It may have been a balloon," said Honolulu Fire Capt. Kenison Tejada. "They all said it was a little bit different color. One said it was black and green. One said black and blue. The more telling thing is we don't have reports of anybody missing. And, according to people, it kept going up and up. Normally paragliders don't go that high."

Following the first reports around 7 p.m., the Coast Guard sent a Dolphin helicopter and a 25-foot patrol boat and its three-person crew, which had to return because of rough seas. The Coast Guard then dispatched a 47-foot boat. At the same time, the fire department launched its helicopter and Rescue 1 boat and coordinated the search through a battalion chief and ladder company on shore.

Marjorie Roe of Dania Beach, Fla., who used to live in Palolo, was jogging when she heard people shouting and saw them pointing to the sky.

"It looked like something was tangled up in the cords," Roe said. "It was moving quickly and there appeared to be two pieces hanging below that were spinning around and around. The top piece was also spinning."

The object appeared to be about 300 feet in the air, Roe said, and "heading straight out to sea from Kaimana. It did gain altitude and it was rising and rising. For about 10 minutes, I saw it going out and out and out and up and up and up until it became a little speck."

People on the beach started calling 911 on their cell phones, Roe said. "It was 7:05 because I looked at my watch."

Roe's mother, Virginia Akopian, was sitting on the beach with a bag that contained a pair of binoculars, which she used to home in on the object.

"I saw a guy up there and it looked like they were twisted in the cords," Akopian said. "He was going out to sea and all of a sudden a big wind started. He just seemed to be flying out to the ocean."

Despite the apparent false alarm, Capt. Tejada urged people in similar situations to call 911.

"The people felt it was somebody in trouble, so we're going to check it out," he said. "If there's any doubt in their mind, they should call. Better we go and find out it's nothing than we not go at all."