Beached kayak mystery solved

THE mystery around an abandoned fishing ski kayak and paddle which washed ashore at Noordhoek, Port Elizabeth, on Wednesday night has been solved.

The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) confirmed that two men had claimed the kayak yesterday.

The alarm was raised at 7pm on Wednesday when a passer-by found the kayak at Noordhoek, along Marine Drive, and alerted the police.

A full-scale search was launched for the owner, who was thought to have possibly drowned.

The search included the surrounding beaches, in the hope that the occupant had swum ashore, and nearby car parks for a possibly abandoned vehicle.

By 9pm on Wednesday, officials called off the search.

Port Elizabeth NSRI station commander Ian Gray said two men contacted the NSRI yesterday after hearing that a kayak had been found.

"They went fishing and at about 9am [on Wednesday] they started paddling back to shore when the kayak started to fill with water while in the breakers," Gray said.

"The men managed to swim ashore and due to the kayak sustaining damage, they decided to leave it without informing anyone." – Gareth Wilson