A 40-year-old angler drowned after he was washed off the rocks by a strong wave between Victoria Bay and Kaaimans River on the Garden Route in the Western Cape on Monday.
National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) station commander Hennie Niehaus said a witness called the institute, informing it of the drowning at about 1.34pm.
”On arrival on-scene our NSRI crew aboard our rescue craft located and recovered the body of the man approximately 300m offshore from a rocky area in the surf,” said Niehaus.
The man was declared dead on the scene by paramedics.
”It appears that the angler was washed off the rocks by a wave and drowned.”
Niehaus said rough sea conditions with strong 3,5m to 4m swells during a rising tide may have caused the accident. He appealed to seafarers and the public to be cautious in and around the sea over the next 12 days.
The rough sea conditions currently being experienced around the South African coast may be aggravated by full-moon spring tides, he said. — Sapa