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The Honolulu Advertiser

Updated at 8:55 p.m., Saturday, February 3, 2007

Coast Guard rescues 4 after boat capsizes off Hale'iwa

Advertiser Staff

A 23-foot boat capsized in waters off Hale'iwa this morning, leaving its four occupants clinging to the hull and debris until a Coast Guard helicopter arrived.

The Coast Guard got a distress signal from the vessel Kahihau at about 8:48 a.m. When rescuers arrived, they found a man and a woman clinging to debris in rough 10-foot swells. Two other men were holding on to the vessel. None of the victims wore a life jacket.

The rescue swimmer on the helicopter pulled the man and the woman clinging to the debris out of the water first. After they were lifted, the rescue swimmer stayed with the two remaining men in the water as the helicopter headed to shore to drop off the rescued mariners. The helicopter then returned for the two men and the rescuer.

The victims were reported to be in good condition.

The Coast Guard said the vessel apparently capsized after taking on water from large waves.