UPDATES:BANTRY BAYOn Sunday afternoon the 2nd of March, a Police Dive Unit, assisted by sea rescue craft and crew of NSRI Bakoven, during a scuba dive search, located and recovered the body of the the 29 year old spear fisherman who went missing on Saturday afternoon after going into the water at Bantry Bay to spear fish.His body was located and recovered in the vicinity of where he was last seen by eye-witnesses entering the water in Bantry Bay. Police are assisting his family and an inquest docket has been opened.Our condolences to his family and friends. MOSSEL BAY:NSRI Mossel Bay volunteer sea rescue duty crew have recovered a Green, Blue and yellow 3 man Synergy Fluid kayak off-shore of Pinnacle Point, Mossel Bay, that was found adrift and unmanned at sea.There remains no information as to who the kayak belongs to and the Kayak was recovered by the NSRI Mossel Bay crew aboard a Sea Rescue craft and brought to the Sea Rescue base in Mossel Bay.No reports of anyone overdue or missing has been reported to Police and while it is suspected that the kayak may have been washed off a beach the situation continues to be monitored.The kayak was spotted drifting off-shore of Pinnacle Point and NSRI Mossel Bay launched sea rescue craft at 14h00, Saturday, 01 March, to investigate and recovered the unmanned kayak.
BANTRY BAY:NSRI Bakoven volunteer sea rescue duty crew were activated at 15h38, Saturday, 01 March, following reports of a spear fisherman suspected to have gotten into difficulties in rough sea conditions while spear fishing at Bantry Bay.NSRI Bakoven sea rescue craft, SA Police Services, WC Government Health EMS, Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services, the Skymed rescue helicopter and a Police Dive Unit conducted an extensive search but no sign of a man, that eye-witnesses saw getting into the water at Bantry Bay, has been found.Police investigations so far reveal that a red motorbike, a blue bag and an orange floatation buoy, seen by eye witnesses to be belonging to a male spear fisherman, wearing goggles, flippers and a black wet suit, and seen entering the water before disappearing without a trace in front of the Ambassador Hotel, Bantry Bay, were left unattended on the shore-line and no one has appeared to claim the motor bike or equipment.While it is now suspected that the spear fisherman has disappeared in the surf and may be feared to have drowned Police are investigating and a Police Dive Unit will continue an ongoing search today, Sunday, 02 March.A fishing license found in a compartment in the motorbike suggests that a 29 year old male from the Northern Suburbs of Cape Town is the owner of the motor bike.
The rescue boat from Bakoven, Rotarian Schipper and the AMS helicopter search for the missing spear fisherman. Picture Ernesta Swanepoel.
