A 17-year-old kayaker went missing in the ocean for 12 hours off the Honolulu coast before an off-duty lifeguard — who was friends with the boy's father — spotted him.
The teen, Kahiau Kawai, had been paddling after a day of classes with his high school team last Wednesday when his kayak capsized. After that, he lost a paddle and got caught in strong currents, accidentally drifting away from his teammates.
"It was pretty rough out there, the waves were super strong and I just couldn't fight the current," he told CNN. "When the sun started setting and I was going further out as it got darker, that's when I started to worry." Kawaii screamed for help, but says he had drifted too far for anyone to hear him. And it wasn't until 6:30 pm that his teammates, ready to go home, realized he was missing.
Kawaii could see search lights looking for him as he managed to cling to his kayak in the dark. But, as he told CNN, the search and rescue teams "weren't going as far out as I was, and that scared me a little bit." Until, finally, at 4:00 the next morning, the off-duty lifeguard noticed him from a helicopter.
From CNN:
Keaulana, who has been a lifeguard with the Honolulu Ocean Safety Department for 16 years, was off duty that night. Then, his wife called to tell him it was their friend's son who was missing. For the next two hours, he paced impatiently, contemplating if he should join the search.
But finally, "I knew I couldn't waste any more time," Keaulana told CNN. …
The fire department immediately launched a search with multiple boats, aircraft and involving over 50 personnel, including the US Coast Guard. Authorities had learned the teenager's surf ski had capsized and he was not wearing a life jacket, according to the US Coast Guard.
"I was starting to lose hope. I don't know if he's still hanging on to his kayak, if he's given up, I'm thinking about the worst-case scenario. I was mad at myself, thinking I should have went earlier," Keaulana said. ..
At around 4 a.m. Thursday, after searching for over eight hours, a US Coast Guard airplane crew spotted the kayak and the teenager clinging onto it.
"Boom, he just appeared right in my sight," Keaulana told CNN. "He's treading water and hanging on to the midsection of the kayak, and I see his head above the water, and I'm like, wait, is he alive?" The lifeguard said that as soon as he heard the boy's voice, "I just broke down crying."
Kawaii was rushed to the hospital in stable but serious condition, suffering from hypothermia among other injuries. "I didn't know I could handle something like that, of that magnitude," he said. "And this situation showed me I can."
Go to CNN to see photos and video of the rescue.
Previously: Dog rescue: A helicopter 1,000 feet above snow happens to spot a stranded pup and gives him a lift
