A 20-year-old man from Belhar is missing, presumed drowned, after he and a friend got into difficulty while swimming at Lagoon Beach.
NSRI Table Bay and NSRI Melkbosstrand responded to reports of possible drownings on Monday afternoon.
“A local surfer had noticed two young men in the water off-shore of the Lagoon Mouth and appearing to be in difficulty in the surf line,” said NSRI station commander Quentin Botha.
“The surfer tried to rescue the 20-year-old man but the man disappeared beneath the water.”
The second man, a 22-year-old, was able to get back to shore, being assisted by two other surfers, and the man was not injured.
NSRI spokesman Craig Lambinon said they had been unable to find the missing man even after extending their operation between Lagoon Beach and Milnerton Beach.
“Rescue operations began again at first light this morning (Tuesday) in the same area and we still have not managed to find the man,” he said.
