Two beachgoers who were washed out to sea on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast are still missing.
Search efforts continued at first light on Saturday for the duo in the mass drowning incident off Pennington Beach in the late evening on New Year’s Day.
Washed out to see
Five beachgoers were initially washed out to sea on that fateful day.
National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) spokesperson Craig Lambinon on Friday said that during the search, it was determined that there were, in fact, three men, all believed to be aged 21, still missing.
According to NSRI, the group became distressed in the surf zone near the tidal pool at Pennington Beach.
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Beachgoers
One 18-year-old female victim was rescued on New Year’s Day and is currently in a stable condition, while a 21-year-old man was confirmed dead and his body recovered earlier during the initial search operation on the evening of 1 January 2026.
The third body washed ashore about 100m from where the bathers entered the water.
Search and recovery
IPSS Medical Rescue spokesperson Samantha Meyrick said the organisation is searching for the missing men.
“On Saturday morning, the search continues for three missing swimmers along the KZN coastline. In Pennington, lifeguards, NSRI and Saps Search and Rescue have returned to continue the search for two young men still missing.
“In Ballito, teams from IPSS Search and Rescue and Kwadukuza Lifeguards are searching the coastline with jet skis and boats, hoping to find the man who went missing while swimming yesterday morning at Thompson’s Bay Beach,” Meyrick said.
Bad conditions
Meyrick added that conditions are not ideal, as the wind has picked up.
“This may hamper search conditions as the day progresses.”
It is understood that all the beachgoers are from KZN.
Warning of spring tide
Meanwhile, the NSRI has urged beachgoers to exercise caution during the full moon spring tide this weekend.
The full moon spring tide, which peaks on Monday, 5 January 2026, will affect tidal conditions over this weekend and for the next few days.
This natural phenomenon occurs when the Sun, Moon, and Earth align during the full moon phase, amplifying the Moon’s gravitational pull on Earth’s oceans.
NSRI spokesperson Andrew Ingram said beach visitors, rock and surf anglers, and people who intend to walk on coastal paths should be aware of the stronger tidal variation typical of spring tides.
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