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Durban - Police search and rescue divers spent Thursday morning scouring the seabed off Umhlanga for aviation wreckage.
The team of divers could be seen from the shore diving off a craft, after a spear fisherman on Monday spotted a section of aluminium wreckage on the sea floor.
The source of the wreckage is unclear, and its sighting comes after two separate pieces of aviation wreckage from lost Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 were found along the southern African coastline.
On Thursday, divers were unable to find the piece of wreckage reported by the diver.
Police spokesperson Major Thulani Zwane confirmed that the diving operation had taken place.
“The search was conducted in extremely dangerous conditions along the reef within the wave zone. No wreckage was located after a thorough search,” he said.
“It may be possible that the piece has been moved by swells and tide changes. Local lifeguards and NSRI have been sensitised and we will act on any new information,” he added.
News24 spoke to spear fisherman, David Gruler, who spotted the strange ocean debris.
“It was on Monday afternoon; I was diving just north of the pier in Umhlanga. I was in about five metres of water and I was spearfishing at the time and I saw a piece of pressed aluminium with rivets in it,” he said.
“It was blue on one side and it looked like there was some sort of mechanical apparatus,” Gruler added.
The Durban man carried on with his dive and thought nothing more of the find, but later mentioned it to a friend.
“I mentioned it in passing to the chief lifeguard in Umhlanga and then they raised the alarm,” he said.
Police dive operation at Umhlanga (Police Search and Rescue Unit, Supplied to News24)
