Huntington Man Rescued 17 Hours After Kayak Capsizes In Long Island Sound

A Huntington man left stranded in rough Long Island Sound Waters for 17 hours after his kayak capsized was rescued by Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau officers on Sunday morning, police say.

According to authorities, Michael Diaz, 56, went fishing in a kayak in Long Island Sound waters off of Lloyd Harbor Village Park on Saturday morning. Diaz's kayak capsized at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Saturday and his roommate reported him missing after he failed to return home, police say.

Officials were searching for Diaz when they heard a report of a man clinging to the rocks at the Greens Ledge Lighthouse, which is located approximately one mile off Norwalk, Connecticut.

Police say officers found Diaz wearing a lifejacket and lying on a platform at the edge of the rocks around the lighthouse. Diaz was pulled aboard the rescue vessel and aid was administered to him while he was taken to shore. He was transported to the Norwalk Cove Marina and then taken to Norwalk Hospital to be treated for hypothermia.

According to Newsday, Diaz was just 100 feet from shore in Lloyd Harbor when his kayak capsized, but the current kept pushing him deeper into the Long Island Sound waters.

Diaz credits surviving the ordeal to his lifejacket and his baseball cap, which he used to steer through the waters, Newsday says.

At the time of the rescue, police say there was a small craft advisory in effect and water temperatures were approximately 68 degrees.

The rescue and search effort was assisted by 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.

Images via SCPD