Kayakers search Kealakekua Bay on Thursday. (Photo courtesy of Visionary Video)
From the Coast Guard:
Coast Guard and Hawaii County Fire Department crews are continuing their search Thursday for a 15-year-old boy last seen with a hiking group at the Captain Cook monument in the vicinity of Kealakekua Bay.
The missing teen has been identified as Tyler Madoff.
Coast Guard search assets include an aircrew piloting an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Barbers Point and the crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Ahi.
Fire department crews are searching with a helicopter, rescue boat and divers. Good Samaritans have also joined the search with their personal boats.
The search area is located 11 miles from shore into the sea, encompassing 185 square miles.
Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Honolulu command center were notified of the situation by the Hawaii County Fire Department at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday.
The crew aboard the Ahi was launched at 6:30 p.m. An aircrew piloting a Dolphin was launched at 6 p.m. Fire department assets included a helicopter, rescue boat, and divers.
The initial report stated the Tyler Madoff was hiking with a group of people who stopped to rest in a tide pool. The reporting source stated a set of waves came up and swept Madoff into the sea.
The Coast Guard is continuing to work closely with its local partners with both surface and air assets. Recent agreements signed with the Hawaii County Fire Department have formalized search and rescue procedures to include communications and asset cooperation. The Dolphin was recently upgraded to include a new communications suite capable of communicating with other local, state and federal partners. This ability to integrate boats, cutters, and aircraft, combined with local knowledge, is designed to support local communities in times of crisis.
For more information contact Lt. Leigh Cotterell, the Sector Honolulu’s public affairs officer, at 808-292-3692.
High surf Thursday at Kealakekua Bay. (Photo courtesy of Visionary Video)
From Hawaii County Police Department:
One 15-year old boy is hospitalized on Oahu and another 15-year old boy is missing following a public accident at Kealakekua Bay on Wednesday, July 4.
Big Island police received a report at about 3:25 p.m. on July 4 that the Hawaii Fire Department was rescuing one of the boys and searching for the other.
Police determined that both boys were part of a youth tour group and were exploring tidal pools near the Captain Cook monument when a large wave surged into the tidal pool they were both within. A tour group guide jumped into the water and was able to recover and resuscitate one of the boys.
The guide was able to flag down a private boater who provided transportation for both individuals, back to Kealakekua Pier. When the group reassembled they discovered that the other boy was missing.
Fire/Rescue crews and Coast Guard personnel are continuing to search the bay and surrounding areas for the missing boy.
(Photo courtesy of Visionary Video)
From the Hawaii County Fire Department:
Three personnel conducted a shoreline search and started at Capt. Cook monument and walked approximately 1.5 miles north a total of four times from 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Chopper 1 also did an aerial search along the shoreline numerous times.
Crews did five dives from a 100-foot depth to shoreline and parallel north and south covering approximately 1 mile.
Coast guard did aerial search covering 8 miles along shoreline and 5 miles out to sea.
Two private boats did a search covering 1 mile north and south of entry point and up 1 mile out to sea.
Negative findings. Crews returned to headquarters at 5:30 p.m.
—
Hawaii 24/7 Staff
Madoff, a student at Scarsdale High School in White Plains, N.Y., and the other teen, from Florida, reportedly were on a trip operated by Bold Earth Teen Adventures.
Between 12-14 teens were reported in the group with about four adult supervisors.
Madoff’s family issued the following statement to media in New York: “We are tremendously grateful for the support and prayers of our community but at this time request our privacy during this difficult time.”
Members of the boy’s family are heading to the Big Island and have asked local recreational and commercial boat operators to assist with the search.
Leave a Reply