Missing fisherman Richard Shiroma, shown here aboard the Bingo Too with a large ono, was described by a Coast Guard official as a good swimmer and mariner.
Coast Guard continues
search for fishermanA baseball cap similar to one he
was wearing is spotted in the ocean
Coast Guard searchers found no sign of missing fisherman Richard Shiroma yesterday, but did spot an orange-red baseball cap like the one he was known to wear.
CORRECTION
Saturday, June 19, 2004Sandra Shiroma, wife of missing fisherman Robert Shiroma, said her husband had 40 years of experience as a recreational fisher. A morning-edition article on Page A5 yesterday incorrectly said that Mrs. Shiroma had 40 years of experience as a fisherman.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Editor Frank Bridgewater at 529-4791 or email him at corrections@starbulletin.com.
The Coast Guard informed his wife, Sandra, that they also found a few life vests floating in the ocean off Kahuku Point.
The 61-year-old Kaneohe man's 25-foot boat, Bingo Too, washed ashore at Turtle Bay Resort sometime on Wednesday. A guest walking along the beach found the boat at 7 that night with a large marlin still attached, police said.
The Coast Guard dispatched two helicopters, a plane and a patrol boat to search the area three to 15 miles north of Kahuku Point in the area of Turtle Bay. The Honolulu Fire Department also had a helicopter searching the area three miles offshore.
About 13 to 15 members of the Aiea Boaters Club joined the search yesterday for Shiroma, a club member.
"It's never easy for a family to stand by while we conduct our search operations, but we are doing our best and we will continue to do our best for as long as we have a chance to save him," said Coast Guard Lt. j.g. John Titchen.
In addition to the baseball cap seen six miles west-northwest of Kahuku Point, the Coast Guard spotters from the air also noticed a cooler, but the items were not retrieved.
Shiroma was not known to wear a life vest while fishing, but Coast Guard officials hope he may have grabbed one before he went overboard.
The Bingo Too was equipped with safety gear, and the Coast Guard was able to trace the boat's movements using the GPS system on board from the time he caught the large fish to the time it washed ashore.
Sandra Shiroma has been a recreational fisherman for 40 years.
"He was pretty knowledgeable about the hazards," she said.
The retired GTE program director "always loved fishing since he was a young man," said Sandra Shiroma. "When he retired, he went and bought a bigger boat."
Her husband also volunteers with the National Marine Fisheries Service's fishing policies committee, she said.
Shiroma's two daughters are expected to arrive from the mainland today.
Warren Onaga, who left Heeia Kea Boat Harbor at the same time with Shiroma, said he cannot understand what could have happened to his friend.
"My last radio transmission with Richard was he picked up a marlin and he had it tied down to his boat," Onaga said. "He was heading back to Kaneohe. We asked him if he needed help, and he said, 'No, no.'"
Onaga said the ocean was flat Wednesday, and there was no chance of an unexpected wave sweeping over the deck. Onaga discounted the possibility of the fish flopping around since Shiroma had already lashed down the fish, which is usually killed before being tied down.
Onaga said Shiroma told him the fish weighed well over 200 pounds, and they had kept in contact by both citizens' band and VHF radio.
"After a while, I kind of got worried. We suspected he had engine trouble, but that wouldn't prevent him from answering his radio."
Onaga said he called the Coast Guard at about 5 p.m. after he got in.
As for the marlin, Onaga said it came loose a couple of hours after the boat was beached.
The Coast Guard searched the Kaneohe Bay area, but refocused the search to the Turtle Bay area after boat was found.
Titchen described the 5-foot-7-inch, 190-pound Shiroma as a good swimmer and mariner, and the Coast Guard will take those facts into consideration in assessing how long to continue the search.
"We've seen cases where people have been out for days at a time," he said.
