Search Continues for Missing Paddler Jon Naeole

A multi-agency search is underway for 59-year-old paddler Jon Naeole (also reported as Joe), who went missing Sunday while paddling off Kailua; family members said his truck, phone and keys were left at the Kailua Beach Park parking lot. Rescuers located his overturned one-person outrigger canoe about 200–300 yards off Flat/Popoiʻa (Popoia) Island and a paddle was recovered by a foil-surfer, but officials reported no new clues after several days of searching. Honolulu Fire Department, Honolulu Ocean Safety, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, the U.S. Coast Guard and other partners have deployed divers, shoreline teams, Air 1, drones and personal watercraft in coordinated grid searches that resume at first light and continue until sundown under HFD’s three-day search policy. Authorities warned that unauthorized drones pose a safety hazard to air operations and could force crews to suspend searches, and the Coast Guard said its teams are highly confident they would have found Mr. Naeole if he were on the surface. As the search entered its final day with no new findings, family and friends remain hopeful and officials asked anyone with information or footage to contact the Coast Guard at 1-800-552-6456.