Staff Reporter
Helium party balloons may have been mistaken for a paraglider landing in the sea off Kogelbaai on Sunday, prompting a search and rescue operation for the second time in just over a week, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said on Monday.
NSRI Gordons Bay duty crew were activated at about 5.30pm on Sunday after eyewitnesses reported what they believed could be a paraglider landing in the sea between Dappat Se Gat and Kogelbaai.
The City of Cape Town water rescue network, the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre (ARCC) and the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre were alerted by the NSRI emergency operations centre.
The NSRI rescue craft Spirit of Surfski was launched, while an NSRI rescue vehicle, police and the Western Cape EMS rescue squad responded. EMS metro control also placed the EMS drone unit on alert.
NSRI shore crew met the eyewitness and City of Cape Town shark spotters on the shoreline at Dappat Se Gat, using binoculars in fading daylight and foggy conditions. The NSRI said sight of what appeared to be a person or object in the water, at least 1.5 nautical miles offshore, was later lost.
The rescue craft began searching the area while ARCC contacted the local paragliding association, which confirmed that all its paragliders were accounted for.
“They also indicated that if it had been a paraglider it would have been a motorised paraglider (at that distance out to sea) and considerations were made of the possibility of a lone motorised paraglider,” the NSRI said.
Despite an extensive search in the dense fog and night conditions, no sign of anyone in the water was found. Police and emergency services had also received no reports of anyone overdue or missing who could be linked to the incident.
The NSRI said a local surfer later came forward and reported that he had also seen the object, which he believed to be large helium party balloons.
“NSRI, Police and the emergency services stood down pending any new information,” the NSRI said.
The institute said the incident followed a similar case on Saturday last week, when NSRI Wilderness recovered helium party balloons that had landed in the sea after they were also reported as a suspected paraglider landing in the water.
“Both cases, false alarms with good intentions,” the NSRI said.
The NSRI said it was not suspected that the two incidents were related, but police were monitoring the matter.
“NSRI are appealing to public members who may know of helium party balloons being lost from any event in the Wilderness area, around 23rd of May, and in the Kogelbaai area, around 31 May, to come forward – they can call NSRI EOC on +27870949774 (this is an emergency number only),” it said.
The NSRI also appealed to anyone who finds helium party balloons washed ashore in the Kogelbaai area to alert the organisation.
The institute commended the eyewitness who raised the alarm, the surfer who came forward with information, ARCC for coordinating the search and the paragliding community for its assistance.
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