Two Children, Three Adults Safe After Boat Capsizes Off Kaena Point

Two children and three adults are safe after they were rescued from their capsized vessel off Kaena Point Saturday morning.

Coast Guard Sector Honolulu received a mayday call over VHF channel 16 at 6:41 a.m. after the 17-foot pleasure craft capsized.  A 45-foot Response Boat Medium crew from Station Honolulu and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Barbers Point were immediately launched to the scene.

The Dolphin crew arrived and found the two children in lifejackets and the three adults not in lifejackets, clinging to the overturned vessel.  A rescue swimmer was lowered to the water and rescued one adult man and the two children.  A vessel that was nearby rescued the two other men.

Sector Honolulu coordinated with the Honolulu Fire Department to setup an incident command post at Dillingham Airfield where emergency medical technicians provided treatment. The response boat crew marked the position of the capsized vessel and the location is being broadcast over VHF Channel 16 to notify mariners of the capsized vessel until it is removed.

“This rescue is a perfect example of why boaters must be sure they have good safety equipment and reliable communications before heading out on the water” said Lt Kevin Cooper, Sector Honolulu public affairs officer.  “Because this boat had a working VHF radio and properly sized lifejackets for the children, we were able to determine the boat’s location and rescuers were able to save five lives in distress.”

The Coast Guard recommends all mariners ensure they are prepared before heading out on the water. This includes having appropriate safety equipment, checking local weather conditions and ensuring the vessel is seaworthy. For more information on bopating safety visit www.uscgboating.org.

For more information contact Lt. Kevin Cooper, Sector Honolulu public affairs officer at (808) 286-4675 or Lt. Casey Corpe, Air Station Barbers Point public affairs officer at (808) 682-2750.

Search Continues for Missing Navy SEAL

The Coast Guard, U.S. Navy and local agencies, continue to search for a missing sailor off of Kaena Point, Friday.

Friday’s search is scheduled to include the Coast Guard Cutters Walnut and Kiska as well as a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium from Station Honolulu, a 47-foot Motor Life Boat from Station Kauai, an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and HC-130 Hercules airplane from Air Station Barbers Point. Crews aboard the Military Sealift Command’s Submarine and Special Warfare Support Vessel C-Commando are also involved as well as Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters and a Navy P-3C Orion airplane are also joining the search efforts. Thursday’s search also included a Navy SH-60B Seahawk helicopter.

Crews are searching an area from Kaena Point stretching 30 miles north and 74 miles west. The total search area for Friday is approximately 690 square miles. The total area searched, since Tuesday, is 9,896 square miles, more than twice the square mileage of the Big Island.

Coast Guard watchstanders in the Sector Honolulu command center were initially notified of the missing man on Tuesday afternoon.

The Pathfinder for Maritime Search & Rescue

Coast Guard crews searched throughout the night on Tuesday, all of Wednesday and into Thursday. Search crews extended their search area Thursday based on data received by self locating datum marker buoys, which help track ocean current directions, assisting search planners in directing the different air and surface assets.

For more information regarding the search, contact the 14th Coast Guard District public affairs office at (808) 535-3230.

For more information regarding the Navy sailor, contact Lt. Cmdr. David McKinney at (619) 522-2816.

Related articles

• Sailor Goes Missing Near Kaena Point During Open Ocean Swim Training (damontucker.com)

 

3.4 Earthquake Registered Off Ka’ena Point

A minor earthquake occurred at 11:25:19 PM (HST) on Saturday, February 21, 2009. The magnitude 3.4 event occurred 9 km (6 miles) WNW of Ka`ena Point. The hypocentral depth is 10 km ( 6 miles).

More here