Fisherman Missing After Being Dragged Overboard By Tuna In Hawaii

Fisherman Missing At Sea After Being Dragged Overboard By Tuna In Hawaii

A fisherman went missing Sunday after a massive tuna dragged him off a boat and into Hawaiian waters, police said.

Mark Knittle of Captain Cook was fishing with a friend four miles off the coast of Hōnaunau on the Big Island when he hooked the ahi just before 5 a.m., according to the Hawaii Police Department.

“The fish is huge,” Knittle reportedly said just before he was dragged overboard. After witnessing Knittle plunge into the water, the friend tried to grab the line but missed.

 

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The friend saw Knittle on the surface for a brief moment but disappeared “within seconds,” police said, adding that the friend attempted to jump in but couldn’t spot Knittle in the water.

Police and the Coast Guard have been searching for Knittle since he went overboard, but the massive ahi — which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says can grow up to 6 feet and 400 pounds — may have dragged the fisherman far from where the boat was anchored.

“Usually, our incidents like this are along the coastlines. This is a different situation because it’s out in the deep,” said Darwin Okinaka, Hawaii County Fire Department assistant chief of operations. “If there’s a fish that’s actually pulling him around, you don’t know where he could go,” Okinaka said.

Knittle is described as 5 feet 10 inches tall and 185 pounds, with curly brown hair with a white mustache and beard. Hawaii police did not immediately respond to The Post’s question on whether any foul play is suspected in Knittle’s disappearance.