A young freediver who disappeared off the coast of Haifa has been found dead following an extensive three-day search involving police, rescue teams, divers and military personnel.
The man, described by authorities as a Haifa resident in his 20s, entered the Mediterranean Sea near Students’ Beach on Thursday, September 10, for a freedive and failed to return to the surface.
According to reports from Israel National News, a relative had accompanied the diver from a kayak and raised the alarm after noticing that he had not resurfaced.
A major search operation was subsequently launched along the Haifa coastline.
Police officers, marine police, rescue personnel, volunteers and aerial units searched from the water, air and shoreline. Local reporting from Haipo documented the operation continuing through Friday, with boats, drones and ground teams deployed around Students’ Beach.
The operation expanded further as specialist teams joined the search.
Divers from ZAKA’s Metzula unit worked alongside other emergency services, using specialist underwater equipment, drones and an underwater robot. ZAKA said its teams were searching both underwater and along the coastline, while Israeli media also reported that personnel from the Israeli Navy’s Shayetet 13 unit had joined the effort.
On Saturday afternoon, September 12, Israel Hayom reported that the missing man’s body had been located, bringing the three-day operation to a tragic conclusion.
The circumstances surrounding the diver’s death have not yet been established in the reporting available at the time of publication.
The Scuba News will update this story if further verified information is released by the authorities.
Comments
