Authorities are still searching for a 63-year-old man after he fell into the ocean on Sunday after hooking a “huge” fish off the coast of Hōnaunau, Hawaii.
Mark Knittle, who stands at 5 feet, 10 inches tall, and 185 pounds, was fishing for ahi tuna four miles beyond the Hōnaunau Boat Ramp when he vanished, said Hawaiian police.
“The friend heard Knittle say, ‘the fish is huge,’ then saw Knittle go overboard into the water,” according to a press release. His friend tried to grab his line, but Knittle quickly disappeared; the friend jumped into the water to search but couldn’t find him, the news release said.
Ahi, Yellowfin tuna can weigh up to 400 pounds and can reach six feet, according to NOAA Fisheries. Deep sea fishing experts said that standard tuna weighs about 130 pounds, and anything over 200 pounds is considered “big.”
“If there’s a fish that’s actually pulling him around, you don’t know where he could go,” Darwin Okinaka, Hawaii County Fire Department assistant chief of operations told The Associated Press.
