The Somali man who went missing on Monday afternoon at sea has not yet been found.
The 23-year-old from Khayelitsha had gone swimming when he disappeared under the water at Monwabisi Beach.
NSRI spokesperson, Craig Lambinon, says the City of Cape Town water rescue network was alerted to reports from lifeguards of a drowning in progress just after 4pm. He says lifeguards then launched into the sea, using Malibu rescue boards, to rescue the man who was caught in rip currents.
Lambinon says: “Almost immediately after being caught in currents, the man had disappeared underwater.
“On arrival on the scene, rescue services and the rescue helicopter assisted the lifeguards in an extensive search in rough sea conditions.”
He says despite an extensive air, sea and shoreline search, there remain no signs of the missing man.
The body of a 28-year-old man from Woodstock is also yet to be retrieved from the water at Sonwabe Beach near Muizenberg after he got caught in a rip current on New Year’s Day.
Police spokesperson, Anelisiwe Manyana, confirmed on Tuesday that police divers are continuing their search for the missing man.
Manyana says: “Kindly be advised that there has been no case registered as yet, although this office can confirm that police divers are currently on the scene searching for the body that has not yet been retrieved.”
Mayco member for Community Services and Health, Patricia van der Ross, says the municipality recorded 12 drownings between 5 December and 22 January, and 25 near-drownings for the same period.
She says during the same period the previous year, the Department recorded 17 fatal drownings.
Van der Ross says: “An analysis of the drowning incidents since the start of the festive season on 1 December 2023 shows that 67 percent of incidents happened on weekends or during the school holidays.
“We are concerned about the number of incidents that have occurred outside of our designated bathing areas, or outside of lifeguard hours.”
byron.lukas@inl.co.za