Rescue personnel aboard jet skis and helicopters searched Kailua Bay today for a man in his 20s, believed to be a Marine, who went missing while swimming with two women late Friday.

Bob and Deb Hall of Huntington Beach, Calif., who are visiting relatives in Kailua, saw a trio in distress Friday afternoon and grabbed surfboards to paddle out and help. They managed to rescue the two young women but the man disappeared beneath the waves before they could reach him.

“I just wish they’d find him,” said Deb Hall, 49. “The girls were locals. The gentleman had only been here for a month and he’s in the military. They had just met him.”

Searchers from the Honolulu Fire Department, Honolulu Ocean Safety and the Coast Guard scanned the choppy waters. They included divers and rescuers on boards and jet skis, along with aircraft.

Shark warning signs were posted on the beach this afternoon.

The Halls and their family members returned to the beach this morning as the search continued for the missing man.

Bob Hall said the trio of swimmers apparently got caught in a rip current about 40 yards offshore from Dune Circle, which is near Kalama Beach Club.

“I could see they were in trouble,” he said. “We were in the right place at the right time. I think anybody would do what they could to help out.”

They and others continued to search for the man after rescuing the women, he said, with no luck.

The Fire Department and other rescuers were out at first light today after spending nearly four hours searching on Friday night.

Honolulu Police Department Det. Mike Garcia confirmed today the missing swimmer is not from Hawaii.

At 5:32 p.m. Friday, HFD responded with eight units and 24 personnel to search for swimmers in distress in Kailua Bay, according to Capt. Scot Seguirant. The first unit arrived on scene at 5:38 p.m.

Three swimmers called out for help after they getting into trouble while swimming approximately 40 yards offshore from the beach.

Around 6:15 p.m. Friday, Honolulu Emergency Medical Services treated a 19-year-old woman in distress, while the second swimmer did not require medical treatment, spokeswoman Shayne Enright said. The age and sex of the second swimmer were not provided.

HFD is currently conducting the search by helicopter, jet skis and rescue boards and divers, Seguirant said.

Kailua resident Marcia Mead Murakami, 64, who lives just four blocks away from Kalama Beach Park, heard the sound of a helicopter flying by her home just before 6 a.m. today. Honolulu Ocean Safety joined the search at 9 a.m. today.

Today’s search reminded her of the recent search efforts for missing Maui hikers Amanda Eller and Noah “Kekai” Mina. Eller was found alive May 24 after she was lost for more than two weeks in the Makawao Forest Reserve. The body of Mina was found May 29 in the summit region of Mauna Kahalawai.

“It’s just amazing what our search and rescue people do and how people care,” she said.

Murakami said she watched this morning as a helicopter flew up and down the coastline.

“I hope there’s a good outcome from this,” she said from her Kailua residence. “I really, really hope for that.”

The identities of the three swimmers have not been released.