At 10h57, Saturday, 25th April, NSRI Hermanus responded to Onrus where eye-witnesses reported observing an unmanned Sea Kayak lying floating about half a nautical mile off-shore but with no person in sight. The eye-witnesses were concerned that a person may be in difficulty and reported that the sea kayak had been floating unmanned in the same position for some time and they felt compelled to raise the alarm fearing that a paddler was in difficulty or missing at sea. On arrival on the scene NSRI noticed a man paddling the sea kayak ashore and on confronting the man he confirmed that he had been out on the sea kayak earlier when friends of his on a rubber duck had come past and invited him to join them on the rubber duck. He anchored his sea kayak where it was and went off on the rubber duck with his friends to go fishing for just under two hours apparently not realising that his unmanned sea kayak lying floating half a nautical miles off-shore unmanned would create an emergency response to check on the welfare of a "missing paddler". The 42 year old man from Onrus who hadn’t realised at the time what the unmanned sea kayak may appear to look like to onloo-kers admits that he won’t do that again but NSRI are just happy that he is safe and that no one was in any trouble.

National Sea Rescue Institute

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