Authorities search for reported kayaker in distress near Everett

EVERETT — Authorities searched Tuesday afternoon after a distressed kayaker was reported off Jetty Island in Everett.

#UPDATE – #USCG crews searched overnight and continue to look for the missing kayaker. A boatcrew from #Seattle has joined the patrol boat crew in the efforts. A #Navy helicopter rescue crew from Whidbey Island plans to assist as well. Check with local agencies for their status.

— USCGPacificNorthwest (@USCGPacificNW) November 10, 2021

Someone called 911 at 12:37 p.m. Tuesday, but the dispatcher couldn’t communicate with the caller because of wind, Everett police officer Kerby Duncan said. The dispatcher could tell it was a call for help and pinged the location of the phone, just off the island.

In a Facebook post, the Tulalip Tribes noted search and rescue teams found a kayak with no one in it about 500 yards off Priest Point. The tribes asked people to keep an eye out for the missing kayaker and call 911 if they see someone in distress.

#UPDATE – A #USCG helicopter has flown several search patterns NE of Hat Island w/ no results. They are refueling and will return to the scene. The crew of an 87-foot patrol boat has arrived and will begin searching. There are no plans to stop our search at this time. pic.twitter.com/mQlb0YNIsQ

— USCGPacificNorthwest (@USCGPacificNW) November 10, 2021

Authorities had four boats in the water, as well as a helicopter and drones in the air, searching for someone in distress, Duncan said.

The Everett fire and police departments, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Coast Guard, Tulalip Tribal Police and Tulalip Bay Fire Department were involved in the search. Everett police wrote on Twitter its search ended just before 5 p.m. as it got dark. The kayaker had not been located.

The department wrote authorities would reevaluate the search Wednesday.

The U.S. Coast Guard reported around 5:30 p.m. that an 87-foot patrol boat would begin searching.

“There are no plans to stop our search at this time,” the U.S. Coast Guard wrote on Twitter.

Wind speeds were expected to be around 16 mph Tuesday afternoon, with gusts as high as 21 mph, according to the National Weather Service.