Imagine gliding through calm waters one moment and then finding yourself fighting for survival in the dark, choppy sea the next. That’s exactly what happened to 17-year-old Kahiau Kawai when he got separated from his kayaking team during practice near Honolulu. Clinging to his capsized kayak, Kahiau spent a nerve-wracking 12 hours drifting in the ocean, hoping against hope that someone would come looking for him. Can you say, “nightmare”? Flashlights swooping past him but not quite finding him—I mean, talk about feeling like a needle in a haystack!
The mission to find Kahiau kicked off around 6:30 p.m. when his friends noticed he was MIA. Lifeguards and the U.S. Coast Guard sprang into action, thoroughly combing the waters as the sun went down and the situation grew more urgent. Fortunately, it was lifeguard Noland Keaulana who caught wind of the search while fixing his truck. With the tenacity of a hawk on the hunt, he took it upon himself to rescue the kid. And spoiler alert—he found Kahiau at around 4 a.m., just in time for breakfast, but probably not the omelet he was dreaming about.
Kahiau’s family described the wild celebration when Keaulana finally broke the news that their son was safe. They sounded more like a band of joyful monkeys than a relieved family—an image I can’t help but chuckle over! Thankfully, while the young kayaker had some injuries and hypothermia, he was treated and stabilized. The incident has officials promising to learn from this close call, ensuring that the next time someone finds themselves adrift, they’ll be spotted faster than you can say “surf’s up!”
