WAILUA — A 59-year-old kite surfer made it to shore on his own at the southern end of the Wailua Golf Course at around 7:40 p.m. Wednesday evening and an intensive search for him was called off, a county press
WAILUA — A 59-year-old kite surfer made it to shore on his own at the southern end of the Wailua Golf Course at around 7:40 p.m. Wednesday evening and an intensive search for him was called off, a county press release states.
The Kilauea resident was exhausted, but unharmed.
Two hours earlier, a friend reported that the kite surfer was in distress about a mile out from Resort Quest Kaua‘i Beach at Makaiwa.
Fire fighters from the Kapa‘a station were the first to arrive at the scene. One of the fire fighters paddled out on a surfboard, but was unable to locate the surfer.
A call for assistance was made to the Lihue fire station, and rescue specialists responded in a Radon. After finding the man’s kite, they were forced to turn around and head back to Nawiliwili due to rough and windy conditions and approaching darkness.
At around 7:15 p.m., the Kapa‘a fire fighters drove to the beach near Kamalani Bridge and conducted shoreline searches.
Coast Guard personnel from Barber’s Point and Nawiliwili Harbor also participated in the search. They conducted an aerial search and combed the waters in a boat.
