The body of an alleged poacher who went missing at sea on Tuesday has washed ashore.
Police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender says they believe that the body is that of the missing diver, 29-year-old Simthembile Rhintyela.
The man was in the company of ten other divers from Pozi village, Chalumna, when he got into difficulty in the sea.
The incident happened near the Mpekweni Beach resort outside Port Alfred around 11 PM on Tuesday night.
Govender says the remaining divers attempted to save their colleague but were unable to do so as the waves and currents were extremely strong.
She says it does appear to police that the divers were perlemoen poachers who were busy with illegal activities and a criminal case has been opened.
