Rescuers search for kayaker missing after fishing on the Outer Banks, officials say
A 26-year-old man who went fishing in his kayak on the Outer Banks of North Carolina over the weekend hasn’t returned, according to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Alexander Rush was fishing near the Old Manns Harbor Bridge in Dare County around 7 p.m. Saturday, the Coast Guard said in a news release
His wife called 911 on Sunday when he didn’t come home. She said his car was still parked at the access area near the bridge.
A Dare County emergency dispatcher notified the N.C. Coast Guard at 10:30 p.m. Sunday, officials said in a news release. The Coast Guard launched a Shallow Water Response Craft boat crew and a Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Elizabeth City in response.
N.C. Wildlife and Manns Harbor Volunteer Fire Department also searched Sunday night, according to the release. Search efforts resumed Monday morning with the help of the N.C. Marine Patrol.
At 12:15 p.m. Monday, officials said they found an overturned yellow kayak near Roanoke Island. Rush’s family confirmed it was the kayak he left in, the release states.
Sgt. Johnathan C. Beardsley with N.C. Wildlife told McClatchy News Rush “is not known to have a life jacket on board his kayak or person at any point.”
He was last seen wearing a burgundy hoodie, gray jacket, black sweatpants and gray Crocs, according to wildlife officials.
The U.S. Coast Guard searched roughly 425 square miles before calling it off Monday night, citing “a variety of factors.”
“The approximate water temperature right now is 60 degrees Fahrenheit, which a person cannot survive long in,” Captain Matt Baer said in an updated news release. “I urge anyone heading out on the water during this time of year to know the environmental conditions, and make sure you have appropriate cold water gear and a personal flotation device.”
N.C. Wildlife suspended its search at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Beardsley said in an updated release.
“Unfortunately, without better information as to what occurred that caused Mr. Rush to go missing and the time that had passed before he was reported missing, the search area encompassed the entirety of the Croatan Sound,” he said. “As NC Wildlife Officer and NC Marine Patrol go about their daily patrols on the water an informal search will continue.
Rush’s wife Kateryna is now asking for help, OBX Today reported. The couple was just married in October.
But Kateryna Rush is now hoping “local mariners and photographers with drones” can also search the area near the bridge where he went missing.
“The kayak was found yesterday 9 miles away from his car,” she said in a Facebook post Tuesday. “It is too much land for us to cover on foot so I really need all the help (if) you have a spare minute just to go out there and look.”
Kateryna Rush told OBX Today her husband is “a good swimmer knows how to use a kayak.”
“I strongly believe he made it out to the shore,” she said, according to the media outlet. “I believe he made it to the land and he’s alive.”
A local family has offered a $1,000 reward for anyone who is able to find Rush, according to N.C. Wildlife. Anyone with information is asked to call Dare County Communications or the N.C. Wildlife Communications at 800-662-7137 or 252-558-6654.
This story was originally published December 7, 2020 at 11:46 AM with the headline "Rescuers search for kayaker missing after fishing on the Outer Banks, officials say."
