HONOLULU – The Coast Guard rescued a stranded mariner from a rocky shoreline on Kauai after he was reported missing Sunday.
Coast Guard Station Kauai was contacted by a family friend after the man failed to arrive at his destination as expected. He departed Hanalei at 10:30 a.m. and was scheduled to arrive in Polihale Beach by before sunset.
Coast Guard Sector Honolulu launched a HH-65 Dolphin Coast Guard rescue helicopter aircrew from Air Station Barbers Point at 8:51 p.m. to begin a search. The Coast Guard Cutter Ahi was notified and joined the search at 9:13 p.m.
At 9:40 p.m. the Dolphin reached the search area. The aircrew spotted the man waving a light from the rocky shoreline and a rescue swimmer was lowered to evaluate the situation. The man was safely hoisted into the helicopter and flown to Lihue Airport where he was met by his family.
The Coast Guard recommends that all mariners file a float plan before heading out on the water. A float plan can greatly reduce the time spent searching should an individual be reported overdue. More information and a float plan template can be found at the following link: http://www.uscgboating.org/safety/float_planning.aspx
