A British woman who went missing from a beach in Greece last week was warned not to swim too far out, a witness has said.
Michele Ann Joy Bourda, 59, was last seen at Ofrynio Beach in the northern city of Kavala on Friday lunchtime.
She was said to have disappeared from her sunbed while her husband, who is believed to be a Greek national, was asleep. Her belongings remained at the sunlounger after she was declared missing.
Bourda was apparently last seen swimming in deep water
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A summer sports instructor told LBC he had spoken to a woman matching Bourda’s description.
He said he saw her swimming in deep water and told her not to swim out any further. It is the first reported sighting of Bourda since she disappeared.
She was last seen wearing a two-piece beaded swimsuit, yellow beach shoes and red sunglasses, according to local authorities.
The Hellenic coast guard has confirmed that a search is under way. A spokesman told The Sun: “Patrol boats are now focused on the entire Strymonian Gulf and it will continue. There is no change in this operation.”
The Greek charity Lifeline Hellas has put out an alert
A source added: “We are giving it our all. There are still no signs as to whether she went missing on land or sea but right now there are no plans … to end this search. We are not at that stage.”
It is understood that Bourda had been living in Serres, northern Greece, which is about an hour away from the beach.
An alert was issued after authorities failed to locate her. “Michele Ann Bourda went missing on 01/08/2025 at the beach of Ofrynio in Kavala,” it read.
“On the day she went missing, she was wearing a swimsuit with decorative stones, yellow water shoes and red plastic sunglasses. Her life is in danger.”
A silver alert is a public notification system used in Greece to help locate missing adults, particularly those with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, or other cognitive impairments.
A foreign office spokesman said: “We are supporting the family of a British woman who was reported missing in Greece.”