The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) is continuing its efforts to find a missing 17-year-old from Hout Bay who went missing at Llandudno Beach on Wednesday.
Ryder Kossatz’s family have extended their heartfelt thanks as searches go ahead in locating him after he was caught in a rip current.
The spokesperson for the NSRI, Craig Lambinon said the incident occurred before 4pm and members of the NSRI Hout Bay and NSRI Bakoven duty crews were activated by the NSRI Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) after eyewitness reports of a male teenager caught in rip currents being swept off rocks on the shoreline below the Llandudno Sandy Bay parking area.
He said NSRI rescue swimmers responded directly to the scene, while NSRI rescue craft were launched and the SAPS and Western Cape Government Health Emergency Medical Service (EMS) rescue squad and ambulance were activated.
EMS Metro Control activated the EMS/AMS Skymed rescue helicopter.
The City of Cape Town’s (CoCT) water rescue network was alerted and CoCT Law Enforcement responded to assist.
“On arrival on the scene an extensive search commenced for a 17-year-old local male who was last seen in heavy sea surf approximately 300 to 400 meters off-shore.
“It appears he had been in shallow surf on rocks on the shoreline with friends when reportedly a wave may have swept him off his feet and we believe he had attempted to swim with sea currents to escape the rocky shoreline,” Lambinon said.
“Despite an extensive sea, air and shoreline search there remained no sign of the teenager,” he added.
“The Police Dive Unit was activated and accompanied by the EMS rescue squad drone unit, Hout Bay police and NSRI, an extensive search using a rescue drone, with a FLIR (Thermal Imaging Camera Technology), and shoreline patrols was continued into the night, but there remains no sign of the missing teenager,” he said.
The family of the missing teenager has requested privacy during this time.