BARON SEKIYA / WEST HAWAII TODAY
Hawaii County paramedics and Coast Guard rescue crew talked with rescued kayaker Jonathan Stockton, right, of Arizona, who was brought by helicopter to Kona International Airport at Keahole yesterday afternoon after having been missing at sea since Sunday.
A kayaker missing for more than two days after calling for help on his cellular telephone to report being stranded at sea was found alive yesterday, 80 miles west of the Big Island. Saved kayaker was
preparing to make a willSearch planes spotted the Phoenix
resident about 80 miles west of the Big IslandStaff and wire reports
Jonathan Stockton, 28, of Phoenix, was spotted by a Navy P-3 Orion aircraft just before noon, Coast Guard Petty Officer David Mosley said.
"I'm glad to be alive," he told West Hawaii Today from the hospital.
He told KITV-4 News, "I got discouraged and I thought that God wanted to bring me to a place where there was nothing I could do, that everything was out of my control and I started hallucinating. I saw pet friends that were on the boat with me that I would talk to."
He added, "I thought that I had better make out a will and prepare myself to just die and sink to the bottom of the sea."
Despite that, Mosley said Stockton was in "pretty good condition" when rescued, and a Kona hospital spokeswoman later said he was in good spirits.
Stockton's mother, Patricia Bossard, who flew in from the mainland with his two brothers, said before seeing him, "He's doing really well."
She later said he was "distraught" from the experience and needed to rest.
The search for Stockton started Sunday afternoon when he called on a cell phone to report his kayak was taking on water about 10 miles from the Big Island.
"I called 911 -- they gave me the direct number for the Coast Guard. I called the Coast Guard and talked to a Lieutenant Costas and he was so helpful. He helped me find my position so that I could help them try to find me by air," Stockton told KITV-4 News. Stockton, an English teacher and missionary, called back that night before dusk to say he spotted a search plane, but crews were unable to locate him before the phone's battery died, the Coast Guard said.
BARON SEKIYA / WEST HAWAII TODAY
"When they found him, they were able to see him waving his arms," Mosley said.
After the Navy plane spotted Stockton, a Coast Guard C-130 aircraft arrived on the scene around 12:30 p.m. and dropped a life raft and supplies.
"I tried to make myself visible and tied a small reflective emergency blanket to my paddle and waved it about," he said. "But they flew by. I figured they'd gone for more gas when they came around for another pass on my right. They banked. I knew they saw me as they began to circle me about 40 times before dropping a flare."
A Coast Guard helicopter dispatched from Oahu reached the scene at 1 p.m. and had Stockton out of the water about 15 minutes later. He was taken to the Kona Community Hospital for evaluation, the Coast Guard said.
Stockton said he had run out of water, but was well protected from the sun with his jacket, hat and gloves. He also had a watersoaked Bible. Stockton said he had been kayaking for five days and that his troubles began after strong winds capsized his kayak Saturday afternoon about one-quarter mile offshore.
"The wind flipped the boat upside down, but then the sail popped up and it began dragging me out to sea," he said. "I had a choice, to stay with the boat, or swim to shore. I chose the boat. I could have kicked myself for that."
His kayak kept capsizing and he eventually succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep. When he awoke, he was about 35 miles off the Big Island. On Sunday night, he could see the lights of Kona and called for help.
Stockton's family was in flight when he was rescued and the Federal Aviation Administration was able to contact their pilot to notify them, Mosley said.
About 8:15 last night a hospital nurse said Stockton was exhausted but was expected to be released.
When asked if he would go back in the ocean he said, "I think lakes are more my style from now on."
