An American teenager who is studying at the University of Cape Town is presumed to have drowned on the Transkei Wild Coast.
NSRI spokesperson, Craig Lambinon, said they were alerted at around 4am on Monday after a group of six students on Spring vacation south West of Coffee Bay went swimming at around 11pm Sunday night.
"It appears that 6 UCT students from a group of 11 UCT students, on a Spring vacation to the area, went to swim at about 11p.m. on Sunday evening when the teenager went missing in the surf after appearing to get into difficulty, at low tide in the current Spring Tide, in the surf line," he said.
"Others from the group attempted to find the missing teenager and staff from the resort were called to join the search but after all efforts to find him were unsuccessful local Police were called and the alarm was raised."
"Extensive efforts were made to mobilise an SA Air Force (SAAF) helicopter rescue team with the NSRI ASR (Air Sea Rescue) but unfavourable weather conditions hampered these efforts and a Police K-9 Search and Rescue team, a Police Dive Unit and EC Government Health EMS Disaster Risk Management responded but the very remote location of the area and barely accessible terrain led to first responders arriving on the scene only at around 10h00," Lambinon said.
"As the morning progressed all efforts to get a helicopter rescue team to the site were made and SAAF 15 Squadron (Durban), SAAF 15 squadron Charlie Flight (Port Elizabeth), the EMS rescue helicopter (East London), a Police helicopter (East London), and an EMS helicopter (Umtata) remained on high alert throughout the morning in order that any one of the resources could be dispatched as soon as weather conditions improved," he added.
However, he said "with the first break in the weather only coming after midday, and after an extensive search had already been carried out by Police and by Disaster Management on the scene, and with no sign of the teenager despite the extensive search, which also involved staff of the lodge, the teenagers friends, and local community members all assisting in a search, a helicopter rescue effort was stood down."
"Local private aviators from the area committed to dispatching private aircraft to join in the search but adverse weather conditions have prevented any of the private aircraft from flight.
The teenager is missing and he is presumed to have drowned."
Lambinon said the family of the missing teenager abroad in the United States are being kept informed and the United States Consulate have dispatched a team to the site to assist.
Police will continue an ongoing search operation and are investigating the incident.
