US Coast Guard saves father and sons clinging to capsized boat in Hawaii

A man and his two children were saved from the Pacific Ocean in Hawaii over the weekend. 

The rescue happened on Saturday after the man made a mayday call saying his boat had capsized. The man hadn’t said on the call where he and his boat were located.

The Honolulu sector of the US Coast Guard (USCG) heard the call and sent helicopter and airplane crews to search the seas to try and locate the man. 

Almost five hours later, the helicopter crew found the overturned boat, with the man and his two sons clinging to the hull.

They weren’t wearing life jackets, the Coast Guard said. 

“Carrying a handheld marine radio allows you to notify first responders if you end up in the water or separated from your vessel,” Lt. Zachary Kayser, command duty officer, Sector Honolulu command center, said in a news release.

“We recommend all boaters wear life jackets when underway. Emergencies unfold quickly and may not allow enough time to find and fasten a life jacket.”

Video from the Coast Guard details the rescue of the man and children.

The Coast Guard said a rescue swimmer was deployed into the waters to swim the children and man to a basket so they could be hoisted from the water into the helicopter.

The video shows the swimmer jumping into the ocean from the helicopter as they begin the rescue. 

The two children were rescued from the water first.

Clips in the video show each person being saved. In each rescue, the swimmer quickly swims over to the basket holding the person they’re carrying.

The video then shows the basket being raised from the water, dangling over the ocean, before making it to the helicopter. 

In one of the final clips, the father is seen being pulled up from an alternate camera angle farther away. The only thing in sight in the background is the open ocean. 

The Coast Guard said the man and his children weren’t injured, and they were taken to the Kahului Airport in Maui after being pulled from the water. 

The man told the Coast Guard his boat was capsized after it was swamped by a wave.

The USCG said waves at the time were 3-5 feet high, with wind gusts at 9 mph.