A Coast Guard cutter rescued two kayakers off the Kohala Coast on Sunday.
A Coast Guard cutter rescued two kayakers off the Kohala Coast on Sunday.
According to a written Fire Department statement, seven units including a county helicopter and fire rescue boat responded to the 12:27 p.m. call of kayakers in distress offshore of the 9-mile marker of Akoni Pule Highway.
The chopper spotted the kayakers and dropped a rescue swimmer into the water to assist, and the USCGC Kiska, which was training in the area, arrived on scene, picked up the kayakers and brought them ashore at Kawaihae Harbor.
Neither kayaker required medical assistance.
The statement cited “very strong offshore trade winds and lack of good judgment of strong wind and currents” as the cause of the kayakers inability to make it back to shore.
It was the second rescue of kayakers off the Kohala coast in five-day span. Two kayaker were rescued Wednesday about 2-3 miles offshore of the 12-mile marker of Akoni Pule Highway, according to the Fire Department.