A search for a missing 25-year-old kayaker stretched into a second day on Lake Waccamaw, with dive teams, ground crews, and a helicopter equipped with forward-looking infrared radar combing the water between Dale's Seafood and the 2500 block of Canal Cove. The man was last seen paddling a black kayak in that stretch of the lake, and authorities have set up a command post at the boat landing to coordinate the widening effort.
The search began near Dale's Seafood and the Sigmon boat ramp before expanding toward Canal Cove, according to Columbus County News, which first reported the man's disappearance. Columbus County Sheriff Bill Rogers confirmed the operation now involves dive and man-tracking teams from his office, along with personnel from Brunswick County, NC State Parks, the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, and the Whiteville Drone Team. Ground crews are also searching near the dam, while water rescue units and drone teams work the water between Dale's Seafood and the Sigmon boat ramp.
Boaters have been asked to avoid the search area entirely as crews work to cover as much of the lake as possible. Lake Waccamaw Police Chief Corey Finch has asked shoreline property owners between the Sailing Club and the boat ramp to review home or pier security footage for anything that might help investigators narrow down the missing paddler's timeline.
Helicopter Arrival Forces Drones Out of the Sky
The arrival of the FLIR-equipped helicopter created an immediate operational conflict: emergency officials had to ground their own search drones once the aircraft was on scene, since low-flying drones and a manned helicopter searching the same airspace pose a collision risk. That forced the Town of Lake Waccamaw to issue public warnings that unauthorized private drone flights near the search area endanger search aircraft and violate federal law.
Those warnings carry real teeth. Under Federal Aviation Administration enforcement policies updated in February 2026, operating an unauthorized drone in an active emergency response area can bring civil penalties of up to $75,000 per violation, along with possible license revocation or criminal prosecution, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. For a search already juggling manned aircraft, boats, and ground teams, an unauthorized drone in the mix isn't just a nuisance — it's a legal and safety liability that can shut down the aerial search entirely.
A Lake Known for Sudden, Dangerous Chop
Lake Waccamaw is a big body of water to search, and a deceptively tricky one. It covers roughly 8,938 acres with a 14-mile shoreline, but according to Wikipedia, its average depth is only about 7.5 feet, with a maximum of 10 to 11 feet — shallow enough that its expansive open surface can whip up sudden, wind-driven chop capable of catching paddlers off guard.
That geography has proven fatal before. In May 2022, an 18-year-old kayaker drowned on Lake Waccamaw after encountering rough water, while two companions were rescued and treated for hypothermia after their own kayaks overturned, the same search-and-rescue history reported by Columbus County News. The following month, in June 2022, the Whiteville Emergency Services Drone Team located the body of a 33-year-old drowning victim in the lake — the second time in a 30-day span that aerial drones were used for a body recovery there.
Life Jacket Rules and Open Questions
North Carolina boating safety regulations enforced by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission require all non-motorized vessels, including kayaks, to carry at least one Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device per passenger. Adult paddlers, however, are not legally required to wear one while underway; state law mandates life jacket use only for children under 13, per the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.
That distinction matters in Columbus County, where local emergency medical leadership noted after the 2022 drownings that a majority of adult drowning victims in open water were not wearing life jackets, prompting community initiatives for improved water safety education, according to the Border Belt Independent. It remains unknown whether the missing 25-year-old was wearing a personal flotation device or whether weather conditions played any role in his disappearance.
For now, the search continues with crews watching the water between Dale's Seafood and Canal Cove, ground teams near the dam, and a command post at the boat landing serving as the hub for the multi-agency effort. Officials are continuing to ask boaters to steer clear of the search zone and residents near the Sailing Club and boat ramp to check their security footage as investigators try to piece together the kayaker's final movements.
