Coast Guard To End Search For Missing Kayaker

MALIBU (AP) — Nearly 24 hours after a man called for medical help and his empty kayak was found off the coast of Malibu, Coast Guard officials prepared to suspend their search, officials said Friday.

"We have been searching continually since it was first reported and we have found no signs of a person out there," said Coast Guard Lt. Sean Arumae.

The man, who was believed to be 65 or 66, called 911 around 3 p.m. Thursday, breathing heavily and complaining of chest pains.

The man's name won't be released until his family has been notified, Arumae said.

The search was being suspended because water temperature is 57.5 degrees and the survivability time period had expired. The search can be resumed at any time if new evidence surfaces, Arumae added.

Members of the Malibu/Lost Hills Search and Rescue Team found the man's overturned kayak about a half hour after he called for help, Arumae said. His life vest was clipped around a handhold and a paddle was attached to the small craft, he said.

Based on the GPS signal from the man's cell phone, he was exactly where he said he was, about two miles off the coast, Arumae said.

The man had rented the kayak earlier Thursday. His car was found in a Malibu parking lot, Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies said.

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