Legendary open-water swimmer John Flanigan dies in kayaking accident

Tragedy has struck the South African swimming community following the death of renowned open-water swimmer John Flanigan. The 80-year-old passed away on Saturday morning after a kayaking accident off Blouberg Beach.

The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) reported that its members spotted an unmanned, capsized kayak drifting offshore of Bloubergstrand. Upon reaching the vessel, rescue teams discovered an unresponsive Flanigan in the water.

NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon confirmed that Flanigan was immediately taken aboard a rescue craft, where medics performed emergency CPR in an attempt to revive him.

Despite the rapid response, the efforts to save the veteran athlete were unsuccessful.

“Despite extensive CPR efforts, after all efforts to resuscitate the man were exhausted, sadly he was declared deceased by paramedics,” said Lambinon.

“The SA Police Services attended at the scene where the body of the man was taken into the care of Police and Government Health Forensic Pathology Services.”

Lambinon added that while the causes of the incident remain under investigation, it appears the "highly respected" 80-year-old had been paddling his sea kayak offshore when the accident occurred.

Flanigan’s death comes shortly after a monumental achievement in his swimming career. He recently made headlines by completing the iconic 7.5km open-water swim from Robben Island to Blouberg. At 80 years old, he became the oldest person to ever complete the grueling crossing, cementing his status as a local legend.