Multiple Ocean Rescues Over Weekend Due to Strong Winds

Fire crews responded to multiple ocean rescues in West Maui over the weekend as strong winds swept across Maui.

A 31-year-old mother and her daughter were assisted to shore at Nāpili Bay after they were having trouble getting back to shore on a standup paddle board.

The incident was reported at around 12:39 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017.

Maui fire services chief Edward Taomoto said when rescue crews arrived, the father of the child had paddled out on a standup board and was already bringing the young girl back to shore. A lifeguard on a rescue watercraft picked up the mother about 150 yards offshore and returned her back to the beach.

Officials say both mother and daughter were caught by strong trade winds and could not make headway back to shore.

Both mother and daughter did not require medical attention. Firefighters from Nāpili and lifeguards from D.T. Fleming Beach Park responded to the incident.

On Sunday, Oct. 15, 2017, at around 11:43 a.m. rescue crews responded to an incident regarding two female swimmers on flotation devices having trouble getting back to shore in front of the Royal Lahaina Resort in Kāʻanapali.

Maui fire services chief Edward Taomoto said by the time crews arrived, bystanders on surfboards had already brought the women to shore.

Before firefighters left the scene, they noticed two standup paddle boarders about a quarter-mile out that appeared to be having trouble paddling against the 25-30 mph trade winds.

A lifeguard on a rescue watercraft made contact with the paddlers and brought a male and female in their early 20s back to shore.

Officials say the couple from Lahaina frequently visit the beach for paddle boarding, but said they were caught off-guard after the winds increased suddenly without warning.

Firefighters from Nāpili and lifeguards from Hanakaʻōʻō Beach Park in Kāʻanapali responded to the incident.

In South Maui, emergency crews responded to a 19-year-old kayaker taking on water about 500 yards off shore from the Sugar Beach area in North Kīhei.

The incident occurred around 11:18 a.m. on Sunday, October 15, 2017.

Maui fire services chief Edward Taomoto said a 45-foot response boat from the Coast Guard Station in Mā‘alaea spotted the kayaker about a half-mile offshore near the Kealia Coastal Boardwalk at about 11:40 p.m.

Officials say the kayaker was brought aboard and found to be uninjured. The man, from Wailuku, said he was unsure of what had caused his boat to start taking on water, but once it did, he was not able to navigate back to shore.

The man was taken by lifeguard personnel on rescue watercraft back to shore at Sugar Beach, where he had parked his car.

Coast Guard personnel took the man’s kayak back to Mā‘alaea Harbor.

Firefighters from Kīhei, and ocean safety lifeguards from Kama‘ole Park I responded to the incident.