The kayaker treaded water. Brightly colored smoke rose nearby from his signal flare.
About 500 feet in the air, an orange and white HH-C5A Dolphin rescue helicopter, piloted by Coast Guard Lt. Mark Hiigel, spots smoke and zips across Port Angeles Harbor to the waters off Hollywood Beach.
Moments later, the floundering kayaker is rescued and safely aboard.
And he jumps out of the helicopter again.
Relax: It’s only a drill — for the benefit of hundreds of kayakers and other spectators pausing during Saturday’s Olympic Raft & Kayak-organized Kayak Symposium.
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