The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a 36-year-old Kalaheo man in waters off Po'ipu Beach on Kaua'i who went missing after a kayak accident this afternoon.

The man and his 36-year-old wife had been kayaking in the area when they ran into difficulty after the wind picked up, officials said.

Police received a call at around 2:38 p.m. about a kayaker in distress near Whaler's Cove.

Firefighters from the Koloa fire station, lifeguards from Po'ipu Beach and Air-1 were the first to respond.

Air-1 spotted a kayak and a woman about 400 yards offshore near The Beach House Restaurant and radioed the fire department, said Kaua'i County spokeswoman Mary Daubert.

Two lifeguards rode out on a jet ski and brought her to shore at around 3:15 p.m.

The woman told the lifeguards that she saw her husband just before he went under.

The woman was taken to Wilcox Hospital.

The Coast Guard joined in the search at about 4 p.m. with a 25-foot boat and a helicopter, said Petty Officer Angela Henderson.

The Coast Guard said it would search all night. The Kaua'i Fire Department will resume its search at daybreak Sunday.