Randall Young, 51, of Morro Bay, was last heard from on Wednesday. A friend who reported him missing said Young had gone camping alone with a kayak at the Plaskett Creek campground in Big Sur and was supposed to return on Sunday.
When the friend went to check on Young after he didn't return, she found his car at the campsite but no sign of him or his belongings, according to the Coast Guard.
This morning, sheriff's deputies and Coast Guard crews used a combination of resources to search for Young in the area of Sand Dollar Beach, sheriff's Cmdr. Mike Richards said.
An 87-foot Coast Guard patrol boat and helicopter were used to scour the water, while sheriff's deputies searched for Young on land.
Park rangers reported that a camper had seen a white, 12-foot kayak somewhere along the shoreline on Monday afternoon. It has not been determined whether the kayak belonged to Young, Richards said.
Young was described as a white male, 6 feet 3 inches tall with a medium build.
Anyone with information about Young's whereabouts is asked to call the Monterey County Sheriff's Office at (831) 647-7702 or the Coast Guard at (510) 437-3701.
