HANALEI — Two kayakers had to be rescued from the Na Pali Coast yesterday after they became separated from their tour group by rough and windy ocean conditions. At 10 a.m., about an hour into their trip and shortly after
HANALEI — Two kayakers had to be rescued from the Na Pali Coast yesterday after they became separated from their tour group by rough and windy ocean conditions.
At 10 a.m., about an hour into their trip and shortly after entering a sea cave known as Two-Door, the women’s tandem kayak was struck by a large wave and capsized in the cave, a press release from Mayor Bryan Baptiste’s office states.
The two women, 41-year-old Melanie Wong from O‘ahu and her 15-year-old niece, climbed on some nearby rocks and waited to be rescued.
Rescuers arrived on the scene in a Zodiac and a jet ski at about 12:30 p.m., a half-hour after the 911 call came in.
“We were dealing with hazardous conditions,” said Ocean Safety Bureau supervisor Kalani Vierra. “It was rough with waves breaking 2 to 3 feet.”
Lifeguards Christopher Piko and Christopher Simpson helped the women down from the rocks and into the water before dragging them out of the cave on a rescue tube behind their jet ski. From there they were transferred to the Zodiac, manned by Vierra and firefighter Timothy Terrazas.
The rescuers brought the women to Kalalau Beach in the Zodiac with the kayak in tow so they could re-join their group, scheduled for a two-night campout in the valley before continuing on Polihale Beach.
“It was amazing that they only got a few scratches from the incident,” Vierra said.
