This afternoon, a 20-year-old male from Louisville, Kentucky died after a kayak he was in capsized near Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s Haulover Sound Access, located between the villages of Avon and Buxton.
Additional details:
- A kayak carrying the 20-year-old male and two other individuals capsized in the Pamlico Sound.
- Two out of three of the kayakers made it safely out of the water.
- At 1:37 p.m., the 20-year-old was reported missing and a search for his body ensued.
- Hatteras Island Rescue Squad, National Park Service rangers, Dare County Emergency Medical Services, and the Dare County Sheriff’s Office responded to the incident.
- The search for the missing kayaker ended after the Hatteras Island Rescue Squad located and retrieved his body with help from a visiting rescue diver. Their quick and professional response to this tragic incident is greatly appreciated by Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
No further details are available.
Bad decisions resulted in a tragic loss. High winds and the resulting chop are not the time to take out a kayak unless one is experienced in those type of conditions. Many people do not realize how quickly you can get far enough out that without the kayak or other flotation device you can get into serious trouble especially if there is substantial winds in play.
More details on how 2 of the 3 made it out are vital to understanding what happened.