Paddleboarder sightings spur hunt with no result

The Coast Guard ended a search Sunday for a possible missing paddleboarder off Allerton Beach in south Kauai.

On Sunday morning, the Coast Guard searched with a cutter and a helicopter along with Kauai lifeguards and firefighters, who helped with a helicopter and a rescue watercraft.

The Coast Guard said the search turned up nothing and the operation ended at about noon.

The search began about 6:50 p.m. Saturday after the Kauai Fire Department called the Coast Guard to report a possible paddleboarder in distress.

Recreational fishermen had seen the paddleboarder paddling out from the beach around 2 p.m. and bystanders saw the paddleboarder again more than a mile out from shore about sunset, the Coast Guard said.

The fire department called the Coast Guard from the beach after losing sight of the paddleboarder, who was described as a male wearing black shorts and a hat.

Saturday evening, the Coast Guard launched an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium and searched overnight. Good Samaritans aboard a recreational fishing boat also assisted in the operation.

Winds in the area were reported to be about 11 mph with 1-foot swells and overcast skies.