KAYAKER RESCUED IN ALPINE

February 20, 2010 (Alpine) – A kayaker on Palo Verde Lake in Alpine was rescued last night by a Coast Guard helicopter after becoming disoriented during a storm.

Zane Magnus, 19, left home in the morning to go kayaking and hiking. He called his father, Royal Magnus, at 4 p.m. to say that he would be home in an hour. When his son did not return by 6 p.m., the senior Magnus called the Sheriff to report him missing. Calls to the youth’s cell phone went unanswered.

Patrol deputies from the Alpine station conducted a preliminary search in increasingly bad weather, but could not locate Magnus. They requested Sheriff’s Search and Rescue as well as a Coast Guard helicopter.

The Coast Guard helicopter located Zane Magnus about a mile from the eastern end of the lake. He was disoriented and cold, but generally in good condition, the Sheriff reports. Magnus was airlifted out by the helicopter and taken to Gillespie Field in El Cajon, where he was evaluated by paramedics and reunited with his father.