Emergency Crews Rescue Hawaii Kayakers

April 5, 2006
Firefighters and samaritans rescued multiple swimmers

Teams rescued 32 cruise ship passengers on a kayaking excursion off Maui on Tuesday.

It happened about one mile off Olowalu on Maui's west side just after noon.

The kayakers from the Pride of America encountered strong weather and abandoned their kayaks, according to the Coast Guard.

Two of the kayakers swam to shore and a Coast Guard boat picked up seven of them. Maui firefighters and good Samaritans rescued the rest.

All 32 people are safe and accounted for, according to the Coast Guard. It's unclear why the kayakers tried to swim in.

The wind was gusting at the time, fire officials said.

Copyright 2006 by TheHawaiiChannel.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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