Teen Sailor Rescues Struggling Seabird Off Kauaʻi Coast

Xavier Prentice was fishing with his family at Kawailoa Bay Beach on Mother's Day when he spotted what looked like a dead bird floating 60 feet offshore. Then he saw its head move.

The Hawaiʻi Technology Academy student didn't hesitate. He jumped from the rocky shoreline into the ocean and swam out to the struggling seabird, carefully carrying it back to shore in his hat.

"Xavier said if the bird's wings were waterlogged, it wouldn't be able to fly," his mother Melissa Tremblay explained. The young sailor's instincts were spot on.

The family sent a photo to a biologist friend who identified the bird as a juvenile koaʻe kea, a native Hawaiian white-tailed tropicbird. The friend connected them with Save Our Shearwaters, a nonprofit that rehabilitates native Hawaiian seabirds.

Following the rescue team's guidance, the family kept the bird shaded and calm before transporting it to Kōloa Fire Station, one of several off-season aid stations for injured seabirds. Volunteers quickly coordinated emergency pickup.

Nearly three weeks later, the young tropicbird is doing remarkably well. Jacqueline Nelson, senior program manager at Save Our Shearwaters, says the patient has gained healthy weight and grown "feisty as ever."

The bird has progressed to supervised pool sessions, where it bathes, preens, and restores the waterproofing of its feathers. These sessions are crucial preparation for its eventual release back into the wild.

Sunny's Take

This rescue showcases the beautiful chain reaction that happens when one person cares enough to act. Xavier's quick thinking sparked connections between family, biologists, firefighters, and wildlife rehabilitators, all working together to save a single bird's life.

His mother believes experiences like this shape young people into environmental stewards. "If you teach your kids to be outdoors and learn about the land and what surrounds them, you create little people who can take care of these birds and everything around us," Tremblay said.

Nelson agrees wholeheartedly. "Conservation work is inherently a collective community effort," she told reporters. "Every single patient we treat starts with just one person in our community caring enough to help when they see a native bird in distress."

The organization called Prentice's rescue "a highlight of our year" and hopes the story inspires others to take action. Staff encourages everyone to save the Save Our Shearwaters emergency hotline in their contacts, noting they answer calls anytime, even on holidays.

The koaʻe kea will soon soar over Hawaiian waters again, diving up to 65 feet to catch flying fish, thanks to one teenager who refused to look away.

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