(UPDATED 9/14) VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The extensive search for a kayaker who went missing in Virginia Beach, continued for a second day Wednesday. By the evening, the Coast Guard had suspended the search.
The Coast Guard began searching for an overdue kayaker Tuesday near Lynnhaven.
They say 27-year-old Ryan Tew was last seen on a red single-person kayak. Tew reportedly departed on his kayak from Crab Creek in Lynnhaven Inlet around 11:30 p.m., Monday evening, and was scheduled to return around 3 a.m. Tuesday.
The Coast Guard was made aware that Tew was overdue around 10 a.m., from Virginia Beach 911 dispatch.
U.S. Coast Guard Sector Virginia Capt. Jennifer Stockwell said Tew was not wearing a life jacket. His family told her he didn’t own one.
“Wear a life jacket and tell people where you’re going,” Stockwell said. “It is extraordinarily unfortunate that we’re in this space right now. We have a family who is really grieving and looking for hope. So, I implore everyone to wear a life jacket on the water.”
Search crews located the kayak approximately 4 miles east of 65th Street in Virginia Beach.
Officials tweeted they suspended the search Wednesday evening.
#UPDATE3 The @USCG and its partner agencies suspended the search for a missing 27-year-old kayaker near Lynnhaven Inlet, #Virginia
— USCG Mid-Atlantic (@uscgmidatlantic) September 15, 2022
For more information visit our #newsroom pic.twitter.com/nTKkjpzLWX
Keith Sawyer of Virginia Beach has been kayaking the Lynnhaven River for 15 years. He said when the tide changes, the current can get rough and dangerous.
“The current out here, a lot of swirling water,” he said. “If you’re in a kayak, you can get rolled over, turned around.”
According to officials, the following rescue crews that helped search were:
- Coast Guard Station Little Creek 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew
- Coast Guard Cutter Rollin Fritch crew
- Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and HC-130 Hercules airplane crews
- Two U.S. Naval Station Norfolk Chambers Field HSC-28 squadron MH-60 Seahawk helicopter crews
- Virginia Marine Resources Commission
- Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel Police Department
- Virginia Beach Police Department
- Virginia Beach Fire Department
- Virginia Emergency Medical Service
- Port of Virginia
- Department of Wildlife Resources
