The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a 33-year-old Kona woman presumed swept out to sea Sunday near Kapoho Bay in Puna.
The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a 33-year-old Kona woman presumed swept out to sea Sunday near Kapoho Bay in Puna.
Amber Savant was last seen around 2:30 p.m. Sunday when she and her diving companion encountered strong tides and currents that immediately swept her offshore during their first dive.
Savant has blonde hair, is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 140 pounds. She was last seen wearing camouflage pants, a black tank top, dive weights and carrying a spear gun, officials said.
Currently searching are an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew and an HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Air Station Barbers Point and the crew of the Kittiwake, an 87-foot coastal patrol boat based in Honolulu. Two jet ski crews and a helicopter crew from Hawaii County Fire Department are searching, as well as a Navy helicopter crew from the 37th Helicopter Squadron.
On-scene assets have completed 10 sorties and searched a total of 1,914 square miles. Based on currents and drift, the search area extends up to 35 miles offshore.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sector Honolulu Command Center at 842-2600.