Units of the Colombian Navy, together with the Colombian Air Force and in coordination with the maritime union, continue to carry out search and rescue operations to locate a missing kitesurfing athlete who apparently presented a maritime emergency on last Saturday May 13 in the afternoon, when I was practicing this water sport eight kilometers south of Cabo de la Vela – La Guajira.
As soon as the report was received by the Port Authority of Puerto Bolívar – La Guajira, the crew members of the Santa Marta Coast Guard Primary Station began the search and rescue operation. According to the corregidora of Cabo de Vela, the kitesurfing athlete would have disappeared due to the high intensity of the wind, which prevented him from returning to the shore.
The search and rescue protocols were immediately activated, deploying Coast Guard and air units of the Naval Institution in coordination with units of the Colombian Air Force, doing detailed monitoring of the navigation systems, detecting the drifting kitesurfing kite without the athlete, for which maritime operations were intensified to find his whereabouts.
Simultaneously with the maritime authority, warning calls are constantly made to the vessels and maritime union that transit through the area, in order to support the search efforts and give timely notice to the corresponding authorities.
To date, maritime operations continue in the area, which allow evidence of the location of the missing athlete, without a positive result to date.
The Colombian Navy, through the components of the Caribbean Naval Force, continue to develop maritime control and surveillance operations to safeguard human life at sea and invites the maritime community to comply with safety regulations and report any emergency to the line 146 or channel 16 VHF Marine.