Separated from school team: teenager drifts at sea for hours and clings to kayak!

Honolulu (Hawaii, USA) - The Coast Guard has rescued a teenager (17) off the coast of Honolulu (Hawaii ). The student had become separated from his high school paddling team and was then adrift in the open sea for over ten hours!

Aerial footage from the US Coast Guard shows the rescue of a kayaker in an accident on the open sea.
Aerial footage from the US Coast Guard shows the rescue of a kayaker in an accident on the open sea.  © Fotomontage: Screenshot/United States Coast Guard

The US Coast Guard reported that rescue workers received a report of a 17-year-old in distress at around 7.30 p.m. (local time) on Wednesday.

The teenager had reportedly capsized just under a kilometer off the coast on a surf ski about six meters long - without a life jacket!

Rescue teams set off in search of the missing man by plane, helicopter and boat. At around 4 a.m. (local time), "the aircraft crew spotted the kayak with the teenager clinging to it", according to the coastguard. They used flares to mark the position of the teenager and started the rescue operation.

The crew of a boat pulls the teenager on board.
ContentImage.Description   © Fotomontage: Screenshot/United States Coast Guard

At around 5.30 a.m. (local time), a boat bagged the 17-year-old and brought him ashore to the rescue service. The teenager had to be treated for injuries and hypothermia in a serious but stable condition, it was reported.