SOS on sand alerts Coast Guard to man stuck in rip current
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An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point poses with a man they rescued Thursday, while on a routine patrol off Kauai. They were contacted by a tour helicopter on VHF radio channel 16 about an SOS marking written on the beach in the sand.
Quick-thinking witnesses on Kauai helped alert the Coast Guard to a beachgoer in distress on Friday by scrawling an SOS. message on the sand.
According to the Coast Guard, an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew was on a routine mission when they were notified that a tour helicopter had seen “S.O.S.” written in the sand at Hanakapiai Beach.
The crew searched area waters and found a man who had been pulled off the shore by a rip current.
They lowered a rescue basket to the man and transported him to Lihue Airport, where he was evaluated by waiting paramedics.
