17-year-old Ryder Kossatz was swept away in an unusual current and all means of finding him are being used. A secondary search is underway to find the pink buoy used in his initial rescue effort, in the hope that it will lead to finding the teen.
Western Cape, South Africa (10 August 2023) – 17-year-old Ryder Kossatz was declared missing over the public holiday when he was swept away in sea currents at the Sandy Bay parking area in Llandudno. The search continues to find him, but efforts are difficult due to the unusual sea currents. A secondary search is underway for the missing NSRI Pink Buoy which was used in initial rescue efforts. The discovery of this Pink Buoy will help search and rescue teams better understand the unusual currents that were present on the day of the incident.
The NSRI has launched a secondary search for the missing pink rescue buoy in the hope that finding it will help them find Ryder Kossatz. It must be noted that if the pink buoy is found, there are very important details that should be captured to give them the best chance of finding Ryder.
If you are a regular along the coastline between Camps Bay and Hout Bay, please note the following:
“NSRI are appealing to the public and seafarers along the Atlantic Seaboard, in particular between Camps Bay and Hout Bay, to be the lookout for an NSRI pink rescue buoy that may have washed out along the shoreline or may be adrift at sea.
It is believed that the rescue buoy, stationed at Llandudno, was thrown towards missing teenager Ryder Kossatz after he was swept away in sea currents at the Sandy Bay parking area in Llandudno on Wednesday.
It appears that sadly Ryder had not managed to reach the rescue buoy before he disappeared.
If the pink rescue buoy is spotted adrift at sea OR if spotted washed up on the shoreline please call the NSRI emergency number 0870949774 (NSRI EOC Emergency Operations Centre) or vessels at sea can contact Cape Town Radio on VHF marine radio channel 16.
Please also plot the position or provide an accurate description of where the missing pink buoy is found.
The hope is that once the missing pink buoy is located this will assist to determine the drift of the sea that appears to have had no normal drift patterns on the day due to extensively rough sea conditions that prevailed on Wednesday and into Thursday and may lead to assisting helping Police in their ongoing search to locate missing Ryder Kossatz
Telkom Maritime Radio Services, in cooperation with MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre), TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) and the South African Police Services, are broadcasting an all-ships alert for vessels in the area along the Atlantic seaboard to be on the lookout for the missing pink rescue buoy.”
Additionally, a safety alert has been issued along the Atlantic Seaboard and it is vital that people take note for their own safety.
“NSRI, in cooperation with CoCT (City of Cape Town), are appealing to coastal bathers, hikers, paddlers and seafarers to be particularly cautious along the Atlantic Seaboard following the number of water accidents that have occurred over the past 2 months, 3 of which have happened in the Sandy Bay vicinity.
NSRI and Maritime authorities are appealing to all coastal bathers, hikers, paddlers and seafarers, across the broad South African coastline, to exercise increased safety precautions as rough winter sea conditions prevail around the coastline.
Often, despite good weather conditions, rough sea conditions prevail.
We are urgently appealing to all public members and seafarers to exercise extreme caution around the coastline.”
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