The body of a free diver who had been looking for crayfish was retrieved from the water at Betty’s Bay near Cape Town, said the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) on Monday.
The man had been with his friend at the time he went missing on Sunday afternoon, said NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon.
The friend raised the alarm after he got out of the water and waited for him to return, but to no avail.
An NSRI rescue craft, the Overberg Fire and Rescue Services, the Western Cape government health emergency services, the police, a Western Province Surf Lifesaving lifeguard and the EMS/AMS Skymed rescue helicopter responded.
During an extensive search, the helicopter located a person drifting below the water’s surface in a bay, said Lambinon.
The 43-year-old man, from Bloubergstrand, was brought to shore and declared dead by paramedics.
An inquest docket has been opened.
“NSRI, police and emergency services convey condolences to family and friends of the deceased man,” said Lambinon.
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