HONOLULU – Coast Guard responded to a distress call from two fishermen last evening around 7:15 p.m.
The two fishermen onboard the Wahine Kapaloa IV called the Coast Guard after running aground off the Southern tip of Niihau. Coast Guard responded by dispatching an HH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter crew.
The Coast Guard helicopter arrived on scene with eight-foot surf and ten knot gusts of wind. The fishing vessel had sunk but the helicopter crew spotted hand-held lights on the shoreline of the island where they found that the two fishermen. Coast Guard air lifted the fishermen to safety and found there were no injuries. The fishermen are being transported to their homeport on Kauai.
The fishing vessel was equipped with an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPRIB) which sent a signal to the Coast Guard and helped locate the vessel.
Source: USCG D14 Public Affairs
