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.

Large Chinese Vessel to Participate in Maritime Exercises off Hawaiian Waters

I’ve gotten to participate in a few RIMPAC exercises over the last few years.  Here is another exercise that will be happening off the Hawaiian waters soon that will feature one of China’s biggest maritime patrol ships and the U.S. Coast Guard:

Haixun 31 maritime patrol vessel

The Haixun 31 maritime patrol vessel, one of China’s biggest maritime patrol ships, will set out for its first visit to the United States on Saturday.

Scheduled to depart from Shanghai at 10:30 am, Haixun 31 is expected to arrive in Hawaii on Sept 4. It will be there for five days to work with the US Coast Guard on a series of maritime cooperation exercises, including a field test of joint search-and-rescues…

…Gene Maestas, public-affairs officer of the Hawaii-based 14th Coast Guard District under the US Department of Homeland Security, confirmed the upcoming joint search-and-rescue operation…

…Apart from the regular cooperation on oceanic safety, Haixun 31 will also be open to the US public for a day during its visit…

More here: Patrol Vessel Heads to Hawaii for Joint Exercises

The public is invited aboard the ship for a day. I urge those with an interest to go check it out!

The public will be invited aboard!

Related articles

• China launches its largest patrol vessel (chinawatch.washingtonpost.com)
• Coast Guard, Chinese officials interdict foreign vessel for illegal fishing (hawaiireporter.com)