Darren Zimmerman, NSRI Simonstown station commander, said; “On 27 April at 05h30 NSRI Simonstown volunteers and emergency services were activated following reports of a teenager fallen into the sea at Kalk Bay harbor and disappeared.
Metro EMS, the SA Police Service , Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service, CMR (Cape Medical Response) paramedics and NSRI Simonstown volunteers responded to the scene and our sea rescue craft Spirit of Safmarine III and Eddie Beaumont II was launched and a search commenced for a 14 year old male who is believed to have been swept out to sea through the harbor entrance.
According to the teenagers friends he and his friends were fishing from the breakwater at Kalk Bay harbor in the early hours of this morning when the teenager fell off the harbor wall into the sea on the outside of the harbor while casting his fishing line into the sea. The teenager then swam through the harbor entrance into the harbor to up against the harbor wall (but unable to climb up the steep and high harbor wall) and while holding onto the fender tyres he passed his friend his fishing rod which he had hung onto and then he informed his friends that he would swim out through the harbor entrance to the beach. The last sight that the friends had of him was in the harbor entrance where it appears that the teenager may have grown tired and may have been swept out to sea by currents and may have succumbed to hypothermia and is suspected to have become exhausted before disappearing.
It is reported that the teenager disappeared at around approximately 04h20 and the friends searched in vain for the teenager before raising the alarm.
NSRI Simonstown conducted an extensive sea search, Metro EMS rescue divers and Police divers have been deployed to scuba dive search, members of the Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service are conducted extensive shore patrols which during the early hours of the morning in darkness they illuminated the search area with search lights and at first light a Metro EMS Red Cross AMS helicopter joined in the search.
No sign of the teenager has been found and his name has not been released at this stage. He is from Lotus River. Police have opened an inquest docket.
Police Divers, Police Sea Border Patrol vessel and a Police helicopter are continuing to search.”
