Helicopter rescue for missing swimmer at Bondi

A massive search operation this morning after a swimmer went missing around Bondi Icebergs has been called off after police investigations confirm the man is not missing.

A massive rescue effort to find a swimmer missing off the south end of Sydney’s Bondi Beach this morning has ended after police found the man who was never missing.

Emergency services were called to the scene just after 11.30am today after reports of a man wearing blue swimming shorts entering the rough water near Bondi Icebergs before disappearing.

Westpac’s search and rescue helicopter “Lifesaver21” rushed to the scene just after midday before dropping a sea marker dye into the water to track the speed and direction where the swimmer was last seen.

A swimmer apparently went missing just before midday. Picture John Grainger

The Westpac rescue helicopter was on the scene. Picture John Grainger

Police from the Eastern Suburbs Command, along with Marine Area command, PolAir and the Bondi Lifeguards joined in on the operation to find the swimmer.

But just after 2.30pm the search was called off after police found out the man was in fact safe.

“Police have confirmed the man feared missing was safe after reviewing footage from a camera which showed the man in fact leaving the water,” a spokesman for the Westpac Lifesaver Rescue helicopter said.

Wave conditions at the beach were rough with easterly swells hitting above 2 metres and water temperatures reaching 22 degrees around the time the man was feared missing.

“We are seeing cloudy and showering conditions in Bondi and parts of the City right now which is expected to remain for the rest of today,” A spokeswoman for the Bureau of Meteorology said.

The Westpac helicopter, police and Bondi lifeguards search the water off Icebergs after a report of a missing swimmer .Picture John Grainger

The rain is expected to ease slightly later this afternoon.

Australia’s summer drowning toll has reached already 105 people this year with 37 drowning deaths recorded in NSW this year compared to 33 last year.

Originally published as Helicopter rescue for missing swimmer at Bondi