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Search for missing kayaker
The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a missing 18-year-old kayaker near Honeymoon Island. FOX 13’s Kailey Tracy reports.
DUNEDIN, Fla. - The Coast Guard has suspended the search for a missing 18-year-old kayaker who disappeared on Sunday night after flipping his kayak into the water near Honeymoon Island, but the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office will resume its search on Tuesday.
What we know:
According to Dunedin Fire Rescue, Elías Guillermo Lara Vargas and two others left from the Gulf side of Honeymoon Island on Sunday.
Courtesy: U.S. Coast Guard Southeast.
First responders said one of the three kayakers made it to shore. Vargas, who’s from the Citrus Park Area, and a female kayaker were trying to make it back to land. The woman’s kayak flipped and she fell into the water. As Vargas, who’s a lifeguard, tried to help her, his kayak also flipped, and he ended up in the water.
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The current separated them from their kayaks, which were later found on Caladesi Island.
The person in their group who was on shore called 911 around 6:24 p.m.
When Dunedin Fire Rescue’s fire boat got there, the agency’s spokesperson said it had to slow down because of the conditions. There was a small craft advisory, waves were three to five feet high, and winds were more than 20 mph.
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The crew heard the female kayaker calling for help and found her in the water off of Dog Beach on the south side of Honeymoon Island. They threw her a rescue ring and were able to bring her on board the boat around 6:45 p.m., warm her up and start treating her for exhaustion and hypothermia.
"The crew saved her life. There’s no doubt," a spokesperson for Dunedin Fire Rescue said about saving the female kayaker. "We were very lucky to have found her based on the height of the waves and the conditions out there."
Clearwater Fire & Rescue’s boat got there not long after and took the woman to a waiting ambulance that brought her to the hospital. It then came back and helped Dunedin, the PCSO, the Coast Guard, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and a couple of other fire agencies search for Vargas.
Coast Guard crews searched by air and sea covering approximately 290 square miles. On-scene weather conditions during the search were approximately 10 to 15 mph winds and 3 to 4-foot seas.
On Monday night, the Coast Guard announced that it was suspending the search for Vargas pending the development of new information.
What we don't know:
It is unclear what the new information is that led the Coast Guard to suspend its search.
What they're saying:
"We extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Vargas' loved ones during this difficult time," said Lt. Vincente Garcia, a Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg search and rescue mission coordinator. "Suspending a search is never a decision taken lightly. We are thankful to our crews and partner agencies for their unwavering commitment and tireless efforts."
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What you can do:
Anyone with any information about the whereabouts of the missing kayaked is asked to contact the Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg command center at 866-881-1392.
The Source: This article was written with information provided by the USCG, the FWC, the PCSO and Dunedin Fire Rescue.