Suffolk Authorities Report Missing Kayaker Rescued from Long Island Sound

LongIsland.com

Marine Bureau Officers heard a call over radio reporting a man clinging to the rocks at the Greens Ledge Light, officials say.

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SCPD officers rescued a Huntington man who was stranded in the Long Island Sound after his kayak capsized.

Photo by: Suffolk County Police Department

Suffolk County, NY - October 9, 2017 - Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau officers rescued a Huntington man who was stranded in the Long Island Sound for approximately 17 hours after his kayak capsized.
 
Michael Diaz went fishing in a kayak in the Long Island Sound off of Lloyd Harbor Village Park on the morning of October 7. After Diaz failed to return home, he was reported missing by his roommate on Sunday, October 8, 2017 at approximately 11:53 a.m. 
 
Officers from the Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau and the Nassau County Police Department Aviation Bureau and Marine Bureau, members of the United States Coast Guard and multiple volunteer fire departments conducted a search of the Long Island Sound. During the search, Marine Bureau Officers Matthew Funaro, Brian Flatley and Peter Bogachunas, aboard Marine Delta, heard a call over the VHF radio reporting a man clinging to the rocks at the Greens Ledge Light, approximately one mile off Norwalk, Connecticut.
 
Marine Delta responded to the reported location and located Diaz, who was wearing a lifejacket, laying on a platform at the edge of the rocks around the lighthouse. After officers pulled Diaz aboard, Bayville Fire Company Paramedic Mario Orlassino boarded Marine Delta from a fire department boat to assist officers in administering aid to Diaz during the transport to shore.
 
Diaz, 56, of Huntington, who told officers his kayak capsized at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, was transported by Marine Delta to the Norwalk Cove Marina and then transported to Norwalk Hospital for treatment of hypothermia.
 
At the time of the rescue, there was a small craft advisory in effect with water temperatures at approximately 68 degrees.