PORT ALFRED - near drowning incident:

Saturday, 24th November, 2012.At 17h03 on Saturday, 24th November Port Alfred duty crew were called out for a drowning in progress at East Beach, next to the East Pier.Juan Pretorius, NSRI Port Alfred station commander, said that our volunteers launched their rigid inflatable craft and dispatched a shore crew and the SA Police Services, GuardMed ambulance services and Multi Security officers responded.On arrival on-scene Police, who had arrived on-scene first, had in their care a 21 year old woman who is a student at Rhodes University, Grahamstown who had been rescued from the water by a friend.NSRI medics found her to be suffering from near drowning symptoms after she had reportedly been swept out to sea by a rip current while swimming before her friend managed to assist her out of the water.She was stabilized on-scene.She has been transported to hospital by a GuardMed ambulance where she is in a serious but stable condition and hospital staff expect her to make a full recovery. Port Alfred crew treat the woman.