Knittle’s friend tried to catch his line, but to no avail. Knittle appeared on the ground for a few seconds before disappearing, according to police.
Rescuers continue to search for Knittle days after a giant tuna pulled him into the water. Hawaii Island police have launched a missing person investigation for Knittle, who lives in Captain Cook, Hawaii.
Officials said the plan was for fire department and Coast Guard personnel to conduct a 72-hour sea and air search of Knittle. Unless the search is expanded, the effort is expected to end Wednesday.
Neither Hawaii police nor the Coast Guard immediately responded to requests for comment early Wednesday. Darwin Okinaka, assistant chief of the Hawaii County Fire Department, told the Associated Press that while most of these incidents happen along the coast, Knittle’s is different “because it’s deep inside.”
“If there is a fish that pulls him, you don’t know where he will go,” said Okinaka.
Known as a highly sought-after fish for its flavor and the fight that goes along with shaking it in, the ahi can weigh several hundred pounds. Police described Knittle at 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds with curly brown hair and a white mustache and beard.
“When an ahi tuna is hooked, they usually don’t jump, but they suddenly turn sideways and swim around,” says Whipsaw Sportfishing, an Oahu charter fishing company. “Considering their weight, this can be quite tedious, and you have to be patient when trying to get them in.”
January is considered the best time to fish for tuna on the main island, experts say. The peak months for ahi fishing are usually between June and September.
Although the fishing is safe, Knittle’s disappearance is not the first time a large fish has drawn a fisherman to Hawaii. In 2019, Oahu resident Matthew Moribe was fishing with his wife 24 miles off the south shore and was pulled into the water while trying to kill his fish, according to Hawaii News Now. The body of a 39-year-old woman has not been found.
Charter fisherman Bruski Louis told KHON in Honolulu that he’s known several times where people have been pulled overboard.
“Luckily, he broke free from the line and swam back to the boat,” he said. “But, when it’s unfortunate, some people can just sit back and drag it down.”
There have been several fishing accidents in the United States in recent years. Bodies were found in the Potomac River in separate cases of missing fishermen in 2013 and 2016. In 2017, an Alaskan boatman risked his life to save one of his crew from the cold, cold water after their day of salmon fishing. .
The National Park Service recommends that everyone who goes fishing wear a life jacket while on, in, or near water.
“Don’t take the chance of drowning, wear a life jacket!” the NPS wrote in an article. It is unclear whether Knittle was wearing a life jacket.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about Knittle or what happened to call the sheriff’s office at 808-935-3311.
Around 5 a.m. Sunday, Knittle and a friend, who has not been publicly identified, were fishing near the “C” buoy, four miles outside the Honaunau Boat Ramp on the Big Island, according to police. At one point, Knittle pulled an ahi. The friend told authorities that he had jumped into the South Pacific to hunt for the fisherman. But it was too late: Knittle was gone.
