Hawaii County rescue workers spent Saturday and Sunday searching for a fisherman who was swept out to sea in rough ocean conditions. Hawaii County rescue workers spent Saturday and Sunday searching for a fisherman who was swept out to sea
Hawaii County rescue workers spent Saturday and Sunday searching for a fisherman who was swept out to sea in rough ocean conditions.
County firefighters received the alarm at 2:49 p.m. Saturday, after a man net fishing with a friend was swept away from the shore by a wave at the South Point Lighthouse in Ka‘u. According to a Sunday press release, the man’s friends tried to throw him a floatation device but were unsuccessful.
Witnesses on the beach reported losing sight of the man about 200 yards offshore as he drifted westward, the release stated.
Two rescue helicopters arrived and searched as boat personnel conducted search and rescue dives in the area. No sign of the man was discovered, however. County search operations were suspended until first light Sunday morning, while a Coast Guard helicopter continued night search operations 7 nautical miles offshore.
As of presstime Sunday evening, the Fire Department had not reported locating the missing man.
