The Honolulu Fire Department just started testing a new tool for ocean rescues.
It's a Kymera Body Board.
"We can get this out there a lot faster than when we launch a Jet Ski," firefighter Verena Snively said.
The board is about five feet long, runs off battery power and weighs just a fraction of a Jet Ski. it can launch in shallow water and from rocky shorelines.
"We can walk it to the beach, put it in the water, get our rescuer on the board and get him out there as quickly as possible," HFD Battalion Chief Howard Naone said.
Firefighters have done a handful of test runs off the Kalaeloa coast line.
On Friday fire Capt. Joey Condlin used it to rescue a kayaker in distress at White Plains Beach.
"The biggest point is just the time," he said. "If we can get there quickly and secure the patient and try to get the person out of the hazard zone then it could work."