Mystery jet ski drifts ashore on Wild Coast
Ghost ships are the stuff of storybooks and legends, but very few have a tale to tell about a ghost jet ski.
George Snodey and his family do though, from their visit to Manteku Beach between Port St Johns and Lusikisiki on Sunday.
The family, who were on a weekend getaway to the Wild Coast, were enjoying the beach when they suddenly noticed the empty, rusty yellow jet ski close to shore.
Snodey, who is from Amanzimtoti, said at first they had no idea what the object was.
“As it got closer, we saw that it was a jet ski. We watched it drift from the mid-break. It was our first time seeing such a thing. It would be interesting to know who it belongs to,” Snodey told the Dispatch on Tuesday.
“The serial number was not there, but it is made by Yamaha,” he said.
Snodey said barnacles had made a home on the vessel it had been in the sea so long.
“It’s such a mystery. We would like to know more. Nobody knew where it came from.”
Another person to watch the jet ski make its way to shore was Matt Botha. He said there was no way to even tell what model it was because of all the barnacles.
“Locals got excited and rushed to the beach to pull it out. It is just old. It’s like it’s been at sea for a very long time,” he said.
Botha said the jet ski remained on the beach.
Julie Geswindt, a sales assistant at a Yamaha store in St Francis Bay, confirmed the make, but could not make out the model from photographs the Dispatch sent to her.
She said it could be a JP 1200 or an 1800 Waverunner.
National Sea Rescue Institute spokesperson Craig Lambinon said, after observing the pictures, it was probable the jet ski had been in the water for six months to a year, or even longer. “There are no reports of any missing persons that may be related to this and there are no reports to our knowledge of anyone losing a jet ski. We will put out some feelers to see if anyone knows,” he said.
“Most likely it drifted ashore from the north or east — most likely in the Agulhas currents — but with no additional info that ’ s also a guess.”
Snodey posted photographs of the jet ski on Facebook.
Most people who commented agreed it had been in the water for some time, but some were concerned about what had happened to its owner.
Fezile Bodla, a lifeguard, estimated it had been at sea for about 18 months.
Simon Bosman wrote: “Maybe this person was lost at sea... hope it’s not a sad ending.”
Cliff Duncan said: “Just wondering what happened to the skipper.”