CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Petty Officer 1st Class Martin Mantz, 39, and Petty Officer 2nd Class Gary Chavez, 28, posed with Chavez' life vest yesterday. It kept him afloat for 20 hours off the Waianae Coast.

Survivors

Two Navy officers recount
their struggle off Waianae

Martin Mantz focused on staying alive for his two daughters when he started thinking he wouldn't survive in the ocean, 21 miles from shore.

Boating tragedies in Hawaii waters Recent recreational boat-related incidents in Hawaii waters: Oct. 15, 2004: Fishermen Roy S. Okamoto, 54, and Mark Cameron, 44, were found dead about 100 yards off Kewalo Basin Park. Okamoto's 13-foot Boston whaler was found capsized on a reef about 300 yards off Ala Moana Beach Park. June 25, 2004: Fisherman Roy Takatsuki, 57, was reported missing on the third day of the North Shore Hanapa'a Jackpot Fishing Tournament at the Haleiwa Boat Harbor. His 18-foot Boston whaler, Beverley, was found idling off Kauai's North Shore. June 16, 2004: Fisherman Richard Shiroma, 61, was reported missing after his 23-foot fishing boat, Bingo Too, was found empty with its engine running in shallow waters near the Turtle Bay Resort. Nov. 12, 2001, Fisherman Wayne Eliam, 32, was reported missing after he fell overboard of a 54-foot power fishing vessel, Two Star, in waters 114 miles southwest of Oahu.

Surrounded by darkness, Mantz thought about his daughters, ages 11 and 13, and told his friend Gary Chavez, "I got two daughters to take care of at home. I'm going for the island."

Chavez said: "I was just thinking to myself, 'I'm too young and still have too much to do. I wasn't going to go down without a fight."

Both Navy men told the news media at Pearl Harbor yesterday about their 20-hour ordeal in the ocean off the Waianae Coast Saturday and their rescue after Mantz's 21-foot Bayliner sank.

Petty Officer 1st Class Mantz took his boat he recently purchased for a trial run with Petty Officer 2nd Class Chavez.

The boat ran smoothly until they were near a buoy located about 21 miles from the shoreline when one of the engines stopped. Mantz turned around and saw the rear of the boat taking on water. "I noticed water right up the back of the boat."

After their boat sank, the men shot flares each time they saw a boat nearby. Just before nightfall, Mantz said they spotted a boat a half-mile away and shot their last flare right across the bow of the boat nearly striking it. But the boat continued on. Both men were separated from one another as soon as the tide changed.

Chavez used the lower part of his life jacket to wrap under his legs. "I floated out there all night and took naps as much as I could just to conserve my energy for the swim in the morning," he said.

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard launched a search for both men with four helicopters and a C-130 plane.

At sunrise, Coast Guard Petty Officer Michael Heazlit was aboard the C-130 plane Sunday morning when he spotted a bright, orange life jacket about nine miles southwest of Pokai Bay. A helicopter was dispatched to the location and a basket was lowered to rescue Chavez.

"I don't think I would have seen him had it been for his life jacket," said Heazlit. "That's what caught my eye."

Throughout the night, Chavez said he saw the Coast Guard searching for him and Mantz.

"They were probably about 200 yards off to my right," said Chavez. "It was kind of frustrating."

A short time later, Mantz was rescued by a fishing boat named Nani G. near the S buoy located about four miles south of Pokai Bay.

At first, the fishing boat passed him as he floated about 200 yards away. It then turned around and headed toward him when a fisherman asked, "Do you need help?"

"They grabbed me by the arms and pulled me over the side like a big marlin and plopped me on the deck. "I couldn't move anymore," said Mantz.

Both men thanked their rescuers for saving them.

The ordeal was something they never thought would happen. Mantz and Chavez said their naval training helped them survive the long hours they spent in the ocean before they were rescued. Both men, who work as hull technicians at the Naval Engineering Learning Site at Pearl Harbor were treated and released at Tripler Army Medical Center. Chavez, 28, has been in the Navy for seven years and is originally from Portage, Ind. Mantz, 39, has been in the Navy for 15 years and is originally from Center, N.D.