UPDATE: On October 22, 2025, the Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) resumed the search at 7:00 a.m. for the missing paddler off of Lanikai in Kailua with seven units staffed with 18 personnel. HFD conducted a coordinated search by land, air (with helicopter and drones) and ocean along with Honolulu Ocean Safety, Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), and the United States Coast Guard (USCG). After three full days of extensive searching from Kaneohe to Waimanalo, the HFD concluded the search at sundown.
All HFD personnel were accounted for with no injuries. If the public has any information or finds anything of significance in the area, please call 9-1-1.
Mahalo to our City, State and Federal partners for a smooth, coordinated response and the community for their ongoing support. Our hearts go out to the family, friends and loved ones of the missing paddler during this difficult time of uncertainty.
SEARCH FOR MISSING OUTRIGGER CANOE PADDLER SUSPENDED FOR DAY TWO
UPDATE: On October 21, 2025, the Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) resumed the search at 5:29 a.m. for the missing paddler off of Lanikai in Kailua with seven units staffed with 18 personnel. HFD conducted a coordinated search by land, air (with helicopter and drones) and ocean along with Honolulu Ocean Safety, Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), and the United States Coast Guard (USCG). A hat belonging to the paddler was found on Sunday and reported today. The location of the hat confirmed data gathered by USCG buoys deployed to track drift patterns.
HFD suspended search operations at sundown and will resume search operations at sunrise tomorrow.
All HFD personnel were accounted for with no injuries.
SEARCH FOR MISSING OUTRIGGER CANOE PADDLER SUSPENDED FOR DAY ONE
UPDATE: On October 20, 2025, the Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) resumed the search at 5:08 a.m. for the missing paddler off of Lanikai in Kailua with nine units staffed with 25 personnel. HFD conducted a coordinated search by land, air (with helicopter and drones) and ocean along with Honolulu Ocean Safety, Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), and the United States Coast Guard. HFD suspended search operations at sundown and will resume search operations at sunrise tomorrow.
All HFD personnel were accounted for with no injuries.
SEARCH FOR MISSING OUTRIGGER CANOE PADDLER SUSPENDED FOR THE DAY
On October 19, 2025, the Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) received a 911 call at 9:33 a.m. for a missing outrigger canoe paddler off of Lanikai in Kailua and initially responded with 5 units, staffed with 14 personnel. The first unit arrived on scene at 9:41 a.m., established command, requested more units, and began the search along the shoreline while the Ocean Safety Department jet ski team searched the ocean. HFD’s Rescue 2 Boat arrived at the ocean scene at 10:11 a.m., where the canoe was found, to begin the search beneath the ocean surface with self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. Air 1 arrived shortly thereafter at 10:31 a.m. and began searching the Flat Island, Mokulua Islands, and ocean surface from Bellows Air Force Station in Waimanalo. A total of 7 HFD units staffed with 22 personnel responded to the incident. Other public safety resources arrived to join the search throughout the day.
It was reported that an overturned one-person outrigger canoe (OC1) was found offshore near the Flat Island with no sign of the paddler. Also, a foil surfer found a paddle floating in the ocean, which was then retrieved by the Ocean Safety
Department’s (OSD) jetski team. The OC1 and paddle were brought to shore to assist with identifying the paddler.
Throughout the day, the HFD collaboratively searched by land, air, and sea alongside the five OSD jet ski teams, two Department of Land and Natural Resources jet ski teams, one Marine Corps Base Hawaii boat, and a United States Coast Guard helicopter.
The wide area search by air encompassed the shoreline and ocean surface from Bellows Air Force Station to the Marine Corps Base Hawaii, while the focused search started where the canoe was found and expanded outward. Search efforts were suspended at 6:04 p.m. due to impending darkness and will resume tomorrow morning.
All HFD personnel were accounted for with no injuries.