A Coast Guard Rescue helicopter crew planned to search throughout the night last night for a Kalaheo man who went missing while kayaking at Po'ipu Beach, Kaua'i.

His wife, who told rescuers she saw him go under the waves, was rescued and hospitalized.

Kaua'i Fire Department dispatch called the Coast Guard, at 3:25 p.m. yesterday, to help aid in the search for the missing kayaker after having rescued his wife. The missing man's kayak was found at Po'ipu Beach, said Petty Officer Angela Henderson. The man and his wife, both 36, had been kayaking in the area when they ran into difficulty after the wind picked up, said Kaua'i County spokeswoman Mary Daubert.

Police dispatch received a call at around 2:38 p.m. about a kayaker in distress near Whaler's Cove, Daubert said.

Firefighters from the Koloa fire station, lifeguards from Po'ipu Beach and Air-1 were the first to respond. Air-1 spotted a kayak and the woman about 400 yards offshore near The Beach House Restaurant and radioed the Fire Department.

Two lifeguards rode out on a jet ski and brought her to shore at around 3:15 p.m., Daubert said.

The woman told the lifeguards that she saw her husband just before he went under.

Coast Guard rescue crews from Air Station Barbers Point and Station Kaua'i arrived on-scene at 4:15 p.m. and joined the search with a 25-foot boat and the helicopter.

The woman was being treated at Wilcox Hospital.

Search crews found her husband's kayak. The Kaua'i Fire Department planned to resume its search at daybreak today.

Anyone with information that could help the search, should call the Coast Guard at 808-842-2600.