Search suspended for missing kayaker, 79, near Ocean Shores

The U.S. Coast Guard suspended a search for a 79-year-old woman near Ocean Shores after searching for nearly 24 hours.

The woman and her husband went kayaking Monday evening when the pair got separated due to the weather, Coast Guard Petty Officer Steve Strohmaier said. Around 6 p.m. Monday, the husband reported the overdue kayaker near Oyhut Bay.

Searchers used small boats and a helicopter. The helicopter located an upside-down kayak, which narrowed down a search pattern, Strohmaier said.

The boats ran a straight path through the water, ran back and forth the extent of the bay, then turned around to run another path. The helicopter went on an alternate path using infrared cameras and heat sources to look for the woman, Strohmaier said.

The search went on until midnight with the crew starting up again at sunrise Tuesday, Strohmaier said. The search was suspended shortly before 2 p.m.

Suspending a search, a lot of things go into it,” Strohmaier said. “It weighs heavily on our minds, especially those searching.”

The safety of the crew was ultimately the reason the search was suspended, Strohmaier said.

Grays Harbor firefighters, Grays Harbor County sheriff’s deputies, Ocean Shores police and Washington State Parks workers helped with the search.

“It was a really tragic result,” Strohmaier said. “It’s like we’re looking for a family member of our own.