A search and rescue at sea operation swung into action yesterday to locate local fishermen, Steven “Captain Moko” Kavana and Peter Brothers Jr.

Cook Islands News understands that the fishermen had set out to sea on late Tuesday morning from Avana Harbour, heading for Aitutaki to transport a boat.

As of 5pm yesterday, the men were last sighted about 52 miles off Rarotonga.

According to police spokesperson Trevor Pitt, the seabed research vessel Anuanua Moana was deployed yesterday to retrieve Kavana and Brothers.

At 12.05pm yesterday, the police learned that Kavana and Brothers were sighted by an Air Rarotonga flight 54 miles south of Aitutaki. The next return flight back to Rarotonga was to try and reconfirm the location.

The search and rescue was coordinated by Inspector Tepaki Baxter at Maritime Police. Baxter was in contact with Aitutaki Police and liaised with Air Rarotonga and the Ministry of Transport.

Local fishermen in Rarotonga headed out to sea yesterday to assist in the search, and vessels in Aitutaki were on standby as well.

A local fisherman said they were happy to learn that the pair had been spotted by the Air Rarotonga crew earlier yesterday.