Missing Kayaker Off Maine Coast Identified After Mayday Call, Found Safe
A kayaker who went missing off the coast of Maine Wednesday morning has been found safe.
A Maine Fisheries and Wildlife officer heard an audio clip of a mayday call that was released to local news outlets Wednesday and recognized the kayaker's voice, according to a Thursday press release from the U.S. Coast Guard.
The officer contacted his office and obtained a phone number for the man, Adrian Cerezo, who was on Petit Manan, Maine, the release said.
Cerezo said his radio was water resistant but not in a waterproof case, and he was not sure if anyone heard his mayday call before the radio stopped working.
The release said a wave knocked Cerezo out of his kayak. He was able to swim to Bois Bubert Island with his kayak, get back in it and then paddle back to Petit Manan.
"It's incredibly fortunate we located him safe on land," Ken Stuart, a command duty officer at Sector Northern New England, said in the release.
Stuart said Cerezo was wearing a winter wetsuit and a life jacket.
"He absolutely did the right thing by researching the water temperature, recognizing the need to dress for the 49-degree water, and wear a lifejacket, all of which contributed to keeping him safe once things went wrong."
Cerezo was not injured.