Coast Guard, Honolulu County first responders rescue 6 aboard foundering canoe off Oahu

Photo By Petty Officer 3rd Class Tori Barrett | A Station Honolulu 45-foot Response Boat Medium crew respond to a sinking canoe off Oahu, Hawaii, Aug. 18, 2019. The paddlers were rescued through a joint effort between the Coast Guard, Hawaii County Fire Department and Ocean Safety crews. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Fireman Olga Davis/Released)  

HONOLULU, HI, UNITED STATES

08.18.2019

Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Matthew West 

U.S. Coast Guard District 14 Hawaii Pacific

HONOLULU — The Coast Guard, Honolulu Fire Department, and Ocean Safety Lifeguard Services rescued six paddlers aboard a sinking canoe off Diamond Head, Sunday.

There were no injuries reported. An Ocean Safely Jet ski operator successfully towed the canoe to shore with one of the boaters. The remaining five were rescued and taken by a Station Honolulu 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew to Ke’ehi Boat Harbor.

“Cases such as this require teamwork between different agencies, and by working together with our local, regional, and national partners we can coordinate effective responses,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Alvin Seguin, a Sector Honolulu watchstander. “Our regular joint training exercises prepare us for these eventualities.”

At 11:40 a.m., Sector Honolulu watchstanders received a call from the Honolulu Fire Department stating canoe paddlers reported their vessel taking on water one mile off Black Point near Diamond Head. Sector Honolulu watchstanders issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast Notice to Mariners to keep a sharp lookout for signs of distress and launched the RB-M crew to respond.

Honolulu Fire Department and Ocean Safety deployed crews aboard a fireboat, Hawaii Fire Department Air 1 helicopter, and a Jetski to assist.

Once on scene, the RB-M crew conducted a drift rate calculation and located the canoe one mile east of the paddler’s last known position. The RB-M crew recovered five of the paddlers while the remaining person stayed with the canoe while the Ocean Safety Jet ski operator towed it to shore.

“The boaters made the right call by notifying the Honolulu Fire Department of their predicament quickly,” said Seguin. “It is always best to play it safe when out on the water and report if you believe you are in trouble. We recommend waterway users take multiple forms of communication for this purpose - cell phones, marine radios, and personal locator beacons.”

The weather on-scene was winds of 17 mph and seas up to 4 feet.

• Date Taken: 08.18.2019
• Date Posted: 08.19.2019 03:23
• Story ID: 336367
• Location: HONOLULU, HI, US