A Hawaii teenager has been rescued after spending nearly 12 hours lost amid stormy seas. A volunteer lifeguard was key to his safe return, officials said. 

Kahiau Kawai, 17, had gone kayaking with his high school team at around 4 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon. The group encountered strong winds and rough seas, and decided to turn back. The team later realized Kawai was missing, and called 911 at around 6:30 p.m., local officials said in a press conference on Thursday. 

Multiple crews began to search the area, including the U.S. Coast Guard. Searchers used aircraft and rescue boats to try to find the missing teen.  

Meanwhile, off-duty lifeguard Noland Keaulana had been made aware of the missing kayaker. He sprang into action and took a boat out to start his own search at around 8:30 p.m., spending hours conducting a 100-mile search around the area. 

Hours later, just after 4 a.m., a U.S. Coast Guard C-130 Hercules aircraft crew spotted Kawai in the water. He was treading water and clinging to his kayak, officials said. He had lost his paddle and was using the kayak as a kickboard to stay close to shore, officials said. 

The Coast Guard made radio contact with Keaulana and dropped a flare signaling Kawai's location. 

"I went to the flare and they gave me more direction and we were able to find the boy and when I approached him, I saw the kayak, I saw his head above water. And I was so stoked to see that he was alive," Keaulana said in the news conference. The rescue was filmed and shared by the Coast Guard. 

Keaulana pulled Kawai onto the boat and wrapped him in blankets and towels. He brought him to the Ala Wai Boat Harbor, where he was treated by Honolulu Emergency Medical Services paramedics. Paramedics administered "advanced life support." Honolulu Emergency Services Department spokesperson Shayne Enright said Kawai was experiencing hypothermia, extreme dehydration and "a lot of severe cramping," but was awake and alert. 

Kawai was transported to a local hospital, where his family says he is recovering. 

"A very special mahalo to good samaritans, friends and family, and especially lifeguard and waterman Noland Keaulana who went out on his own to search for Kahiau all night, never giving up, using his instincts and knowledge of the ocean," the family said in a statement, according to HawaiiNewsNow. 

Keaulana said he wouldn't have been able to sleep if he didn't go search for Kawai. 

"I'm just thankful the kid's alive," Keaulana said. "The whole night was an emotional night. Especially after letting every minute go by. Then and then kind of like, I was expecting the worst. And then when I seen his head up next to the kayak ... this kid's strong. I'm glad we got to bring him back."

The dramatic incident unfolded about a week after the Coast Guard rescued a boat captain who rode out Hurricane Milton in the Gulf of Mexico before he was found clinging to a cooler around 30 miles off of Florida.

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• Rescue
• Hawaii