Urgent search continues for missing 25-year-old fisherman near Hawston Harbour
Police divers are continuing their search efforts for a 25-year-old man who went missing off a boat near to Hawston Harbour, between Hermanus and Kleinmond, on Friday.
National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) spokesperson, Craig Lambinon, said police divers are continuing their search today.
The NSRI Kleinmond received the alert on Friday at 12.38pm, and the NSRI Kleinmond duty crew were activated.
“NSRI Kleinmond duty crew was activated following eyewitnesses reporting what they believed to be a capsized boat, with two persons onboard, 200m offshore of Hawston Harbour, and reporting one adult male to be safely ashore and one adult male suspected to be missing.
“An NSRI Kleinmond rescue vehicle was dispatched and the NSRI Kleinmond rescue craft Spirit of Surfski II was launched while the SA Police Services, Overstrand Traffic Services, Overstrand Law Enforcement and a WSAR (Wilderness Search and Rescue) member, responded,” said Lambinon.
According to further information, the small, open fishing boat on which the two local fishermen were was not capsized. However, one man, a 25-year-old skipper from Hawston, had reportedly jumped off the boat into the water.
Lambinon said it was believed the man had jumped off to recover personal items that had fallen out of the boat, and he had not surfaced from underwater.
Lambinon confirmed that the duty crew was activated, and NSRI also launched the NSRI rescue craft Leonard Smith and Rescue 17 Bravo.
Meanwhile, provincial government Health, EMS, Metro Control, and Police WPDS (Water Policing and Diving Services) were alerted.
To this end, the extensive search has been unavailing.
“An extensive search, in calm seas with 13 to 15 knot South Easterly winds, by the 3 NSRI rescue craft, NSRI rescue swimmers, conducting free dive sweeping line search efforts, and shoreline patrols, and that included friends of the missing man launching a boat to assist in the search, has revealed no signs of the missing man. Thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the missing man during this difficult time,” said Lambinon.
chevon.booysen@inl.co.za