Search Suspended For Missing Kayaker On Long Island Sound

FORT SALONGA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Two kayakers went out on the Long Island Sound over the weekend with just one life vest, and late Monday, the search for a kayaker who went missing was suspended

As CBS2's Erin Logan reported, the boater without the vest had been missing for 24 hours late Monday.

A 45-foot response boat was just one of a few used by the U.S. Coast Guard as they undertook an extensive search that began Sunday around 6:30 p.m. The missing kayaker was identified as Selvin Vasquez Enamorado, 24, of Huntington Station.

"The story was that it was two members went out on a one-person kayak with one life jacket," said Coast Guard Senior Chief Petty Officer Tony Martinez.

That information alone was nerve-wracking for Martinez.

"It's something I've never heard before," he said.

The kayak was launched at Crab Meadow Beach in Northport around 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. Sunday.

"One member said to the other member that, 'Here, I can swim, so you take the life jacket,'" Martinez said. "That member that was given the life jacket was retrieved by a third party."

Martinez could not comment on who was with Enamorado. But he did say the kayak was recovered within a few hours, and the search has involved a number of different agencies, vessels, and even a helicopter.

But late Monday afternoon, the search was called off.

The Coast Guard said because of the number of fatalities over the last year, they will be on a mission to checking kayaks to make sure they have all the proper safety equipment.

The Coast Guard is even handing out stickers to people who own kayaks so they can write their names and an emergency contact should something happen to them on the water.

As the weather continues to get nicer and more kayaks are out, Martinez is asking everyone to keep an eye out for others on the water.