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The U.S. Coast Guard joined the search for a 44-year-old diver who vanished in the waters off Hawaii’s island of Kauai.
Bryson Higashi was last seen around 4:30 p.m. local time Tuesday near Hanalei, a town on the island’s northern coastline, according to the Coast Guard.
“Coast Guard Sector Honolulu command center watchstanders received a notification at 7:36 p.m. Wednesday from Kauai Fire Department personnel of a possible person in the water near Hanalei Bay,” the agency said.
“Watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast and coordinated the diversion of a Coast Guard Station Kauai 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew, an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew and an HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point,” it added. “The Coast Guard Cutter William Hart (WPC 1134) crew also diverted for the search.”
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Bryson Higashi, 44, vanished on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in the waters off Hawaii’s Kauai island. (Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images; U.S. Coast Guard)
Officials said Higashi “may have gone missing while freediving.”
He is described as being 5 feet, 11 inches tall, weighing around 180 pounds.
“Higashi’s truck was discovered near Hanalei Bay after being left unattended for a full day,” the Coast Guard said.
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The coastline of Hawaii’s Kauai island, where Bryson Higashi was last seen on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. (Visions of America/Joseph Sohm/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The Kauai Fire Department, Kauai Police Department and the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources are assisting in the search.
“Your assistance could make a significant difference,” the Kauai Police Department said in a message to the public.
A U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter flies along the San Diego coastline on May 11, 2025, in San Diego, Calif. (Kevin Carter/Getty Image)
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As of Thursday, the Coast Guard said on-scene weather conditions consisted of, “15 mph winds, 2- to 4-foot seas with occasional showers and reduced visibility.”