With winds measured at 25 mph and seas up to 10 feet high, the Sea Hawk crew hoisted the passenger and transported him to medical care, Coast Guard officials said.
Coast Guard officials said that the Dolphin helicopter conducted three search patterns Thursday evening along a northwest slab of Kauai while the Navy’s Sea Hawk crew spent five hours hunting along the northwestern shore.
The Air Force has taken the lead role as the search for the airman, from the 24 Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, transitions to a recovery effort.