Kaipo Kaminanga was a 15-year-old high school freshman who fell out of a canoe Monday evening while boating with a few friends on Red Cove Lake, a short drive from town.
The Sand Point residents are still looking for a missing teenager who hasn’t been seen since he reportedly fell out of a canoe on a nearby lake earlier this week.
Kaipo Kaminanga was just a freshman at Sand Point High School basketball team but already made an impression on the court. He was 5 feet 5 inches and weighed 100 pounds.
He wasn’t the biggest player on the roster, but he used his speed and court vision to make a difference.
As a member of the Class of 2029, the 15-year-old primarily handled the ball as a point guard, though he is also comfortable sliding over to the shooting guard position when needed.
For a high school freshman, stepping into the varsity or junior varsity lineup can be a challenge, but Kaipo’s skills as a floor general allowed him to facilitate the offense and set up his teammates.
He represented the future of the program as part of a promising new wave of talent for Sand Point.
Dillingham Athletics & Activities will be hosting a silent auction this weekend to assist in the search for our friend Kaipo, #3 from Sand Point. He and his team spent two weeks at DHS last month for basketball and he made many friends with kids in our school and on all the teams.
Robyn Chaney
Community Rallies to Find Missing Teen Kaipo Kaminanga in Rural Alaska
The search continues for a missing 15-year-old boy who disappeared after a canoe accident on a local lake.
Kaipo Kaminanga fell out of a canoe Monday evening on Red Cove Lake, just a short drive from his town of roughly 500-600 people. He hasn’t been seen since.
According to Austin Roof, Kaminanga and three friends had taken ATVs to the lake to enjoy what he described as “unseasonably beautiful weather,” though temperatures remained in the upper 30s.
Roof is a teacher with the Aleutians East Borough School District.
While three boys canoed on the lake, a fourth stayed on shore. The canoe tipped over, sending all three into the frigid water, and the boy on shore jumped in to help, but could only reach two of them.
They tried to help Kaipo, but they weren’t able to get to him. Sadly, he went under the water, and that was the last time he was seen.
Austin Roof
The call for help came in around 7:30 p.m. Monday, and residents quickly mobilized to help search the lake.
A diver from the Trident Seafoods processing plant assisted, though the extreme cold complicated efforts. His mask kept freezing when he surfaced.
According to the Sand Point Police Department, an Anchorage dive team is scheduled to arrive on Thursday to continue the search.
The community’s generosity and love towards Kaipo Kaminanga’s family have been remarkable, with Sand Point, Alaska Community Events contributing significantly to the care and support provided. You have become more than just a community to us; you are ohana, tirelessly offering help and support next to mommy Jane without expecting anything in return.
Sucram Yłłen
For this tight-knit community, the loss has hit hard. The school serves only about 75 students, where everyone knows everyone.
The town has faced challenges in recent months with crime issues and fishery meetings affecting the area, making this tragedy especially difficult.
Roof has created an online fundraiser to support Kaminanga’s family during this difficult time.
Dear My Love Kaipo Kaminanga you said you’d be back by 7pm February 23rd. I’m still waiting for your safe return. Don’t you break your promise that you will return to me. If you’re not in the Lake then tell Dad where you are, I know you’ve seen him searching for hours and days. You need to come home to thank every single person that’s out here searching for you! Every single person that’s given up their time for you! You come home and we’ll have a long chat… this time Imma scold you like never before, show me your location and I will come to you No matter how far and how difficult it’s gonna be I will come get you! Dad is trying to protect all of us but if you need me to come get you, just say it- I can hear you in my heart!
Jane Marcus Kaminanga
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