Kayaker who drowned in Mission Bay identified

MISSION BEACH (CNS) – San Diego lifeguards Sunday found the body of a teen who drowned in Mission Bay when his kayak capsized and identified him as an exchange student from Ghana.

Abdul Razak Shanun, 17, first was reported missing at 3:01 p.m. Saturday in the Sail Bay area of western Mission Bay, near the Mission Bay Sportcenter at Santa Clara Point. The search for Shanun’s body was suspended Saturday night about 8 p.m. and resumed today at first light.

Shanun’s body was discovered at 9:35 a.m. Sunday in 25 feet of water at an undisclosed location in the bay, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman Lee Swanson said.

Shanun was in a rented kayak when it capsized and he became separated from his personal flotation device and submerged.

A tweet from the San Diego lifeguard account said it was believed he had not been wearing a life jacket.

SDFRD dispatched emergency personnel including rescue divers and a helicopter to search for Shanun Saturday, but the search was unsuccessful in Mission Bay’s near-blackout visibility conditions, Swanson said. After about an hour, authorities said the search turned to a rescue operation.

The search continued today with the use of vessels from the Parks Ranger Lake Team and San Diego Police Department, both equipped with side-scanning sonar, Swanson said. Five lifeguard divers were also deployed.

A rescuer told an SDFRD dispatcher Shanun had rented the kayak from the Catamaran Resort Hotel, 3999 Mission Boulevard.

According to the website for the African Youth Basketball Organization, Shanun was a basketball player who attended Balboa City School, an independent college-preparatory school in Centre City, near Balboa Park.