Police seek information about Big Island fisherman who went missing a year ago

Authorities are renewing their request for public assistance in the search for a missing 43-year-old fisherman who disappeared more than a year ago after launching his boat from South Point.

Earl Kekuanaoa Hind, known locally as ‘Oa, was last known to have launched his vessel from the South Point area on April 7, 2025, according to Hawaiʻi Police.

Authorities said Hind is Hawaiian, 6 feet tall, weighs about 180 pounds, and has brown hair and hazel eyes. His vessel, the Makalapua Onalani, is a 21-foot Force boat with a 2-foot extension, a white hull, a light blue cabin and twin outboard motors.

Police said Hind frequently fished the waters off South Point and South Kona.

Investigators previously reported that Hind and the vessel were last seen offshore near Miloliʻi around noon on April 9, 2025, traveling north.

Law enforcement added that Hind’s truck and boat trailer were later found parked near the South Point boat ramp. Extensive search efforts conducted by the Hawaiʻi Fire Department, the U.S. Coast Guard, and community volunteers have not located Hind or the vessel.

Anyone with information regarding Hind’s whereabouts or the location of his boat is asked to contact the Hawaiʻi Police Department’s non-emergency line at 808-935-3311. If Hind or the vessel is spotted at sea, the U.S. Coast Guard asks that the information be reported immediately to its command center at 808-842-2600.