Authorities Searching for Father and Son Missing Off Oahu Coast

The family is from Korea and was staying with family at a hotel in Waikiki.

Published: 6/25/2026, 3:47:46 PM EDT

Authorities Searching for Father and Son Missing Off Oahu Coast — A Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Air Station Barbers Point monitors a Russian military vessel, south of Oahu, Hawaii, on Oct. 29, 2025. (Cutter William Hart/U.S. Coast Guard//Handout via Reuters)

Officials in Hawaii are searching for a father and his teenage son who went missing while hiking.

The two were reportedly on a hike when they disappeared Tuesday. Officials are operating on the presumption that the two are in the water and in need of assistance. The search includes Honolulu police, fire, and ocean safety departments, and the U.S. Coast Guard.

According to a press release from the Coast Guard, at around 8:45 a.m. local time Tuesday morning, a good Samaritan found the father's personal effects near the Hanauma Bay Rock Bridge Trail on the eastern side of the island of Oahu and contacted authorities. First responders with the Honolulu Fire Department also found his car near the trailhead entrance. Family members said the two went out at around 7 a.m. to hike the trail.

After receiving word from the Fire Department, Coast Guard Sector Honolulu command center watchstanders broadcast a notice and deployed a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from the station and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point.

The two missing persons were identified as a 49-year-old father and his 16-year-old son. No other details were released, but local news outlets have learned that the family is from Korea and was staying with family at a hotel in Waikiki. Citing Honolulu Police, Hawaii News Now reported that the father is about 6 feet tall and 187 pounds with black hair and brown eyes, while the son is 5 feet 10 inches tall and 154 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

Officials gave an update on the search Wednesday. Search efforts had to be suspended at around 5:00 p.m. Tuesday evening, but resumed just after 5 a.m. Wednesday. Rescue crews had searched the entirety of the hiking trail and the surrounding area and spoken with other hikers on the trail throughout the day, though none had seen the two. As such, they were operating on the premise that they were in the water and were in need of help. However, they are known to be experienced swimmers in good shape.

Officials said they had deployed two jet skis with 10 personnel Tuesday and again Wednesday. They have also been utilizing diving grids with five divers to assist the jet ski crews.

Air crews conducted a flight Tuesday evening, were on scene at 6 a.m. Wednesday, and flew sorties until about 1:30 p.m.

Weather was a factor in Wednesday's operations. Officials said they had witnessed swells of between 5 and 6 feet, with winds around 20 knots.

In total, authorities have conducted about 42 hours of searching and covered a search area of over 162 square nautical miles, from Hanauma Bay all the way up the southeastern shore of the island to Makapu'u Point, around the point to Waimanalo Bay at the north end and Maunalua Bay at the south end, and about one nautical mile offshore.

The full list of crews involved in the search includes the Honolulu Fire Department; Honolulu Police Department; Honolulu Ocean Safety Department; Coast Guard Station Honolulu; Coast Guard Sector Honolulu; Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point; and the Coast Guard cutter Oliver Berry.