POLICE have called off the search for missing kayakers near Preston Beach after learning that the owners of the kayak are alive and well.
A search and rescue operation was launched after an empty kayak with fishing gear washed up on Preston Beach this morning.
However, two Bunbury men, including the owner of the kayak, have contacted police to alert them to fact that it was their kayak which was lost in rough weather earlier in the week.
Stefan Juengling and a friend were out fishing early on Monday morning when a storm capsized their kayak, leaving them stranded around 3km from shore.
After a failed attempt to contact water police, and with no life jackets or emergency signals in the kayak, Mr Juengling said they were forced to battle waves and high winds to swim their way back to shore.
“We waved at nearby boats and four-wheel drives on the beach and called for help but no-one heard us,” he said.
“After four hours of swimming we got back to shore exhausted from our ordeal.”
Once there the pair hitched a ride back to Preston Beach carpark where they returned home without reporting the incident to police.
Neither man suffered any health issues from the event aside from shock and severe sunburn.
