In the open sea
Student fights for survival off Hawaii for 12 hours
A 17-year-old schoolboy almost didn't survive a kayaking trip off the coast of Hawaii. The boy capsized with his sports equipment and the current drove him further and further out to sea. The teenager was only rescued after twelve hours.
Kahiau Kawai had been taking part in a high school training session when the accident happened. "It was pretty rough out there, the waves were super strong and I just couldn't fight the current," he told CNN about the incident.
He didn't make it back onto the kayak because he couldn't turn the six-meter-long vessel. So he drifted alongside - when night fell, he was seriously worried. "It was pretty rough out there, the waves were super strong and I just couldn't fight the current," says Kawai.
Aerial search was eventually successful
His cries for help went unheard, but the Honolulu Fire Department launched a search for the teenager involving 50 emergency personnel. The US Coast Guard was also involved. Helicopters flew over the area. "I saw them fly to a certain point several times, but they didn't fly out as far as I did - and that scared me a little," explained the young Hawaiian.
It was only after eight hours of searching that he was spotted by a US Coast Guard plane - by which time it was already 4am. A lifeboat was sent to the location, which eventually rushed to the boy's aid. He floated in the sea for a total of twelve hours before he could be pulled out of the water. "It sounded like hyenas and monkeys in our room as we jumped up and down with joy at the news of the rescue," said the teenager's mother.
The US Coast Guard posting:
The hours of anxiety had taken a toll on the family, "We struggled with thoughts of hope and despair," the mother explained. The teenager was eventually taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition and has since been discharged.
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