After over 11 hours stranded at sea, 17-year-old Kahiau Kawai was finally rescued by an off-duty lifeguard and the US Coast Guard in Hawaii.
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On Wednesday, the teen had been out kayaking with his high school paddling team when he eventually got separated from them. According to the New York Post, Kawai capsized “approximately half a mile south of Honolulu’s Sheraton Waikiki Beach Resort.”
The team reported Kawai missing during their paddling practice, which led to an overnight search to look for the teen. State, city, and federal rescue teams searched throughout the night, as well as off-duty lifeguard Noland Keaulana.
The New York Post reports that Keaulana is a Polynesian voyager and a part of the well-known Native Hawaiian waterman family. After searching for hours, the lifeguard was eventually directed to a flare that The Coast Guard set off. The flare was deployed around 4 a.m. on Thursday when a Coast Guard airplane spotted the teen’s kayak.
Lifeguard Keaulana made a statement about the rescue during a news conference on Thursday. He said, “I was expecting the worst. And then when I saw his head up next to the kayak … his family is lucky and this kid is strong.”
He continues, “I think he was in total shock because he wasn’t emotional at all. And I was actually crying my guts out because he was OK.”
Kawai’s Family Thanks Off-Duty Lifeguard and Search Teams
The Coast Guard said that when Kawai was found, he was not wearing a life jacket. His parents let rescue teams know how grateful they were for their persistent search in a statement following the incident.
They were also proud of their son for his bravery and perseverance. They note this by saying, “Kahiau, who could see rescue teams looking for him, was strong, resilient and brave for 11.5 hours in the dark, and is grateful to be back with his family and friends.”
In an interview following his rescue, Kawai says, “I freaked out for maybe a couple minutes. I shouted around calling for help to nearby boats, but I was too far away for them to hear me or see me. I didn’t really have a choice but to kind of just relax. At that point I just had to let the current take me, there was no other choice.”
After being safely rescued, the teen was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for injuries and hypothermia.