Nearly every weekend, we hear from the Coast Guard about an unattended kayak, diving buoy, or skiff floating in the ocean, which triggers a search.
But the problem is, all too many times, they’re items that get away and not labeled so authorities can call the owner.
For example, the Coast Guard needs help in identifying the owner of a dive float found near Punaluu Saturday. There are no reported signs of distress or missing persons in the area, but a search is being conducted as a precaution.
Since January 2015, this is the 34th time something like this has happened — an incident that is part of an on-going problem that can be easily solved.
A spokesperson said “The Coast Guard has had kayaks, paddle boards, surfboards, dive floats, stuff of that nature, where good Samaritans call us and say ‘hey, we’ve come across this.’
“We’ll talk to the police department to make sure if there are any missing persons, and we conduct a search, using helicopters or even several of our boats.”
But it gets costly as the Coast Guard continuously goes out on searches to find no one missing.
It has a solution: a “If Found” sticker you can put on your equipment. It’s simple, free, and helpful for the Coast Guard.
Marine supply stores like Go Bananas carry the stickers.
But owner John Enomoto says there’s a slight problem. “When you write on it, it’s waterproof, sure, but it’s such a slick material that the name rubs off.”
It’s better than nothing, but Enomoto wants to take it a step further. “It’s very simple. I believe they need to put licensing on water equipment, just as you would a bicycle. If you had licensing on a standup paddle board, a canoe, a kayak, and it’s found floating in the ocean, the registration tells you who owns the boat.”
