Kayaker with only 17% cellphone battery left gets stranded on Hawaii island at 2 a.m.
A kayaker stopped to take a quick break on a Hawaiian island — and got stranded for hours.
The 29-year-old man started kayaking at about 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 16, the Honolulu Fire Department said. He left from Kailua Beach Park and stopped at an island about a mile away to take a break.
After 20 minutes passed, he discovered his kayak had vanished, firefighters said.
He was stuck on the northern Mokulua Island, one of the twin islands offshore from Oahu that has steep cliffs and a sandy beach. The man had only 17% cellphone battery left.
At about 2:22 a.m., he called the fire department for help. Firefighters did not say how long the man was stranded before calling for help.
At least 16 rescuers set out to help the man. They arrived about 15 minutes after the kayaker called for help.
“Upon arrival at the scene, HFD’s Air 1 flew to the kayaker’s location and confirmed the stranded kayaker was on the northern Mokulua Island,” rescuers said in a news release. “Air 1 loaded two rescue personnel at the landing zone and inserted a rescuer near the stranded kayaker’s location.”
The man was airlifted to the landing zone at 3:17 a.m., more than seven hours after he began kayaking.
Firefighters said the man was not injured and declined medical attention.
Rescuers said people who are boating should always have two forms of communication with them and keep an anchor, warm clothing and flares on board.
People who get stranded with low cellphone battery can use certain settings to save power. Officials said it’s a good idea to turn Wi-Fi and Bluetooth off when not actively using the phone.
If the person is not in direct contact with someone, they could also turn the phone to airplane mode.
“Stay off your phone except to speak with police,” rescuers said said. “Don’t call your friends and family while you’re waiting for rescue.”
This story was originally published February 17, 2022 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Kayaker with only 17% cellphone battery left gets stranded on Hawaii island at 2 a.m.."