Missing kayaker found deceased
Published 7:45 pm Monday, February 23, 2026
QUILCENE — A 21-year-old male kayaker who went missing Friday night was found deceased on Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said.
Two people went kayaking Friday night in the Hazel Point area when the vessel capsized about 10 p.m. and both occupants went into the water, the Coast Guard and Sheriff’s Office agencies said.
Neither person was wearing a flotation device. One person made it to shore, but the other did not, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound launched an Air Station Port Angeles MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew, Station Seattle a 45-foot response boat and the Coast Guard launched its Blue Shark vessel to conduct searches.
Crews conducted 12 searches and covered 43 square miles before suspending the operation on Saturday, the Coast Guard said.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, Quilcene Fire Rescue, Brinnon Fire Department and Jefferson County Search and Rescue, assisted with search efforts over a two-day period.
