An intensive search operation is under way for a 37-year-old American tourist who was pulled out to sea while swimming at Diaz Beach near Cape Point on Wednesday evening.
Darren Zimmerman, the Simonstown station commander of the National Sea Rescue Institute, said the alarm was raised shortly after 18:00 when reports came in of a drowning in progress. The man had been visiting Cape Point with family members on the last day of their Cape Town holiday when he and a male relative decided to take a swim at Diaz Beach.
However, upon entering the water, the relative — a firefighter in the United States — quickly recognised the powerful currents and urged them both to get out. "We believe they were in shin-deep water, attempting to retreat... when the missing man was swept off his feet. He was caught in rip currents and swept out to sea before disappearing," Zimmerman said.
Emergency rescue crews were dispatched and launched a search for the man in the surf zone. The operation continued well after nightfall, covering both the sea and the shoreline, but yielded no trace of the missing swimmer.
"Despite an extensive sea and shoreline search that continued after dark, there remain no signs of the missing man," Zimmerman added. Police divers have joined the effort and search operations are set to continue.
