Posted at 2:30 a.m., Thursday, April 26, 2007
Missing kayaker off Big Island believed to be safe
Advertiser Staff
A phone call from a Big Island resident saying he believed he was the missing kayaker the U.S. Coast Guard and Hawai'i County Fire Department had been looking for over the past 24 hours led to the suspension of the search, a Coast Guard official said this morning.At about 8:50 p.m. last night, the resident called to say he had been out kayaking in the area when the four surfers called HFD to say they thought they saw a kayaker waving hands in distress about a mile off of Puako Bay.
The surfers made the distress call at about 7 p.m. Tuesday night, prompting the search that didn't end until last night's phone call.
The resident said he called after learning of the search and thought it was probably for him because he was in area at that time. He said he was not in distress and was safe at home.
A Coast Guard C-130 airplane and crew from Air Station Barbers Point had been searching, and a Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter and crew from Air Station Barbers Point also responded.
