Lost in the Everglades for two days, kayaker found and rescued, Coast Guard says
What was supposed to be a three-day kayak trip through the Everglades turned into a battle for survival, as a kayaker went missing for two days in Florida’s 1.5-million-acre wetlands.
The unnamed kayaker arrived at Everglades National Park and took off from Hell’s Bay on Thursday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard said. His plan was to return on Saturday, but that didn’t happen.
On Sunday, Everglades National Park Service officers started searching for the kayaker but couldn’t find him. The Everglades officers called the Coast Guard in Key West Monday morning.
A Coast Guard airplane crew was able to find him later Monday in Whitewater Bay. The aircrew dropped him food, water and a radio. The kayaker told them he had been lost for two days. Everglades National Park Service officers rescued him.
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The Coast Guard says he wasn’t injured.
“Due to the kayaker filing a float plan, telling someone where he was going and when he was supposed to be back, we were able to find him,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Jeffrey Swope, watchstander at Sector Key West.
This story was originally published October 13, 2020 at 8:54 PM.
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