A man in his 20s from Haifa went freediving at the Students’ Beach in the city on Thursday, and has not resurfaced since. Since the evening hours, a wide-scale search operation has been underway, continuing into the morning, in an effort to locate him.
The incident began after a close relative of the young man, who accompanied him in the kayak, noticed that he did not come up from the water and alerted rescue services. Shortly afterward, large police forces, rescue units, and additional emergency responders were dispatched to the scene, and the area became a site for intensive searches.
With first light, large-scale sweeps resumed. The police commissioner, Lt. Gen. Dani Levi, also arrived at the command post established at the beach, where he held a situation assessment with the unit commanders and followed closely the progress of the efforts to find the missing man.
The operation includes officers from the Carmel district police, the maritime policing unit, volunteers from the Jeep unit, members of ZAKA, members of the Lahav Hatzalah and Fire Rescue unit, and additional forces. At the same time, a helicopter from the police air unit, drones, boats, and jet skis are scanning the water, alongside ground teams, mounted units, and motorcyclists carrying out searches along the length of the shoreline.
Police say the young man entered the water for freediving without breathing equipment, and that all forces continue their efforts in order to locate him as quickly as possible. As of now, he has not been found, and the searches continue at sea and from the air, in hopes of achieving a breakthrough.