HONOLULU — The Coast Guard is seeking the public's help identifying the owner of an orange Type 1 life jacket approximately five miles southwest of Barbers Point, Oahu, Saturday.
The life jacket appeared to be in the stored position with no identifiable markings and was unable to be recovered.
Anyone with information that may help identify the owner of the life jacket is asked to contact the Coast Guard Sector Honolulu Command Center at 808-842-2600.
Watchstanders at Sector Honolulu Command Center received the report from the crew of the research vessel Kilo Moana at 7 p.m., who located the life jacket adrift southwest of Barbers Point.
Sector Honolulu watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast notice to mariners and launched an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point to conduct a search of the area.
There are currently no reported signs of distress or missing persons in the area.
"The Coast Guard strongly encourages owners to label their gear with a name and contact information. Also, if the gear is lost, report it to the Coast Guard with a good description so that we can eliminate any unnecessary searches," said Lt. Nicholas Spence, search and rescue coordinator at the Sector Honolulu command center.
The Coast Guard offers free "If Found" decals to be placed in a visible location on small, human-powered watercraft through the Operation Paddle Smart program. The information on the sticker can allow response entities to quickly identify the vessel's owner and aid search and rescue planners in determining the best course of action.
The stickers can be obtained for free at local harbormasters, through the Coast Guard Auxiliary, from Honolulu Sail and Power Squadron offices and at select marine retail and supply stores.