VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — After two days, the Coast Guard suspended its search for a missing kayaker in Virginia Beach.
Ryan Tew, 27, was last seen leaving Crab Creek in Lynnhaven Inlet around 11:30 p.m. Monday in a red single-person kayak.
He was expected to return early Tuesday morning; when he didn’t, his family alerted authorities.
According to Coast Guard, search crews located the kayak about 4 miles east of 65th Street Tuesday, but Tew was still nowhere to be found.
The Coast Guard, along with several other agencies, searched for two days, covering more than 1,873 square miles.
“After exhaustively combing the search area with multiple air and on-water crews, we made the difficult decision to suspend our search for this missing kayaker,” said Capt. Jennifer Stockwell, Coast Guard Sector Virginia commander. "We would like to express our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Mr. Tew."
More than 10 rescue crews participated in the search:
- Two Coast Guard Station Little Creek 45-foot Response Boat-Medium boats
- Two Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters
- Two Air Station Elizabeth City HC-130 Hercules airplanes
- Coast Guard Cutter Rollin Fritch crew
- Coast Guard Cutter Seahawk crew
- Virginia Marine Resources Commission
- Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel Police Department
- Virginia Beach Police Department
- Virginia Beach Fire Department
- Virginia Emergency Medical Service
- Port of Virginia
- Department of Wildlife Resources
- Three U.S. Naval Station Norfolk Chambers Field HSC-28 squadron MH-60 Seahawk helicopters
- False Cape State Park Rangers