LIHU’E — The Coast Guard on Friday evening rescued a boater whose 22-foot pleasure craft failed to return to Kaua’i on Thursday night. Amos Tamura, 36, was siting atop the overturned Kidaly about 20 miles south of Ni’ihau when he
LIHU’E — The Coast Guard on Friday evening rescued a boater whose 22-foot
pleasure craft failed to return to Kaua’i on Thursday night.
Amos Tamura,
36, was siting atop the overturned Kidaly about 20 miles south of Ni’ihau when
he was spotted by the crew of a C-130 search and rescue aircraft, the Coast
Guard said.
Tamura, the only one aboard the boat, was suffering from
hypothermia. He was hoisted to a Coast Guard helicopter and transported to
Barking Sands.
The Coast Guard said it didn’t know why the boat
overturned.
The Kidaly was reported overdue at 10 p.m. Thursday, two hours
after the boat was due back at Nawiliwili Harbor.
Tamura had left Thursday
morning to fish in an area south of Port Allen.
The Coast Guard began the
search early Friday morning off east and west shores of the island for Tamura
after he failed to return from a fishing trip Thursday night.
Three
helicopter searches Friday failed to turn up any signs of Tamura or the
Kidaly.
When Tamura didn’t return to port by 8 p.m. Thursday, the owner of
the boat, the man’s father, notified the Coast Guard at 10 p.m, Coast Guard
officials reported.
A Coast Guard helicopter from Barber’s Point on O’ahu
began a search for the man at 1:15 a.m. Friday, according to Lt. Greg Fondran.
The aircraft searched around a FAD (fishing aggregate device) located
about five miles from Port Allen Harbor at ‘Ele’ele, where the man was
believed to have gone fishing, Fondran said.
A second search began at
5:40 a.m. Friday, followed by a third search that got under way early Friday
afternoon, Fondran said.
There had been no distress calls from the missing
boat.
AP contributed to this report
Staff writer Lester Chang can
be reached at 245-3618 (ext. 225) or lchang@pulitzer.net
