The man is reported to have jumped off his boat to retrieve items that fell into the water
Police divers are on Saturday continuing their search for a 25-year-old man who went missing after falling off his boat.
Man missing near Hawston Harbour
The man, who is a local, went missing on Friday near Hawston Harbour, between Hermanus and Kleinmond in the Western Cape.
“At 12h38, Friday, 14 November, NSRI Kleinmond duty crew were activated following eyewitnesses reporting what they believed to be a capsized boat, with two persons onboard, 200 metres offshore of Hawston Harbour, and reporting one adult male to be safely ashore and one adult male suspected to be missing,” said the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI).
However, when rescue boats arrived, they found the small fishing vessel had not capsized.
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Man jumped off boat
NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said the missing man had jumped off his boat to recover items that fell into the water.
“The 25-year-old skipper of the boat, from Hawston, had reportedly jumped off the boat into the water, we believe to recover personal items that had fallen out of the boat, and he had not surfaced,” he said.
The NSRI said provincial government health, emergency medical services, metro control and Police Water Policing and Diving Services were alerted about the missing man.
Despite the extensive search, the man could not be found.
“An extensive search, in calm seas with 13 to 15 knot south easterly winds, by the three 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 care are with the family and friends of the missing man in this difficult time,” said Lambinon.
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