Coast Guard rescues eight boaters in Kaiwi Channel

It happened during a kayak escort excursion Sunday and the kayakers say preparation made the all the difference.

The four teens and four adults were about 12 miles west of Moloka’i when their 21-foot recreational vehicle started taking on water. Kayaks on board were tied together as a flotation device.

"Water was just coming in too fast for the bilge pump to puno the water out and that caused the back of the boat to sink down. We started to turn around to outrun the wave and the boat was already too heavy and it just sank," said Mark Henry Reeves.

But the site of the Coast Guard helicopter gave them relief.

"It was such a good site to see. We were waiting for about two ...more