Sunday, 22nd December, 2013. Incidents around the country over the past few days:
Still Bay:NSRI Still Bay responded on Thursday morning, 19th December, at 06h00, to reports of a pencil duck overturned at Morris Reef and the two young men onboard, aged in their early 20's, of Team Volvo, training for the Trans Agulhas, firing flares.Our crew launched the sea rescue craft COLORPRESS RESCUER and both men were rescued and were not injured and their rubber duck was recovered.A rough South Easterly choppy sea condition may have contributed to their capsizing.
Knysna:On Thursday night, 19th December, at 23h55, a local man put his boat on a sand bank on Knysna lagoon to collect bait when his boat washed away in an outgoing tide.NSRI Knysna volunteer sea rescue duty crew launched the sea rescue craft JAYTEE III and first picked up the local man and then found his boat heading out of the channel towards Knysna Heads and the boat was recovered.
Lamberts Bay:On Wednesday, 18th December, mid morning, NSRI Lamberts Bay volunteer sea rescue duty crew launched the auxilliary sea rescue craft SUNBIRD to respond to assist a man and his two children, boys aged 8 and 12, from their capsized craft at Deurspring, 8 nautical miles North of Lamberts Bay.On arrival on-scene NSRI Lamberts Bay crew found a local fishing boat had rescued all 3 who were not injured.
Agulhas:At 05h45 Sunday, 22nd December, NSRI Agulhas volunteer sea rescue duty crew launched VODACOM RESCUER VII to assist 5 fishermen on their 9 meter commercial fishing boat that suffered fuel starvation after one motor died from mechanical failure and they attempted to get to shore on their second motor, but fully laden with their fishing catch the second motor expended all her fuel before reaching the harbor.They were towed to the Struisbaai harbor by NSRI where they refueled.
Shelly Beach:On Sunday 22nd December at 07h50 NSRI Shelly Beach volunteer sea rescue duty crew responded aboard CALTEX ENDEAVOR to reports of a jet-ski, with three people onboard, capsized off shore of Southbroom.2 men aged in their 40's and a male 12 year old, were rescued and were not injured. Their craft was also recovered.Then at 13h00, Sunday, 22nd December, NSRI Shelly Beach responded to Ramsgate where it was reported a man being swept out to sea.On arrival on-scene the 55 year old man was found safely on the beach and not injured.It appears that he had managed to get himself free of a rip current and swim back to shore without assistance.
St Francis Bay:At 19h00 on Saturday, 21st December, NSRI St Francis Bay assisted the boat TRUE NORTH that suffered battery failure off-shore of Shark Point. NSRI St Francis Bay towed the boat to just outside of the harbor where a marine company brought them new batteries.At 17h45 on Saturday the 21st of September NSRI St Francis Bay duty crew were activated following reports of a two boat collision on the Krom River near the Krom River Mouth.NSRI St Francis Bay volunteers crew responded including an NSRI St Francis Bay crewman who was nearby at the time and Private Care ambulance Services were activated.Marc May, NSRI St Francis Bay station commander, said that on arrival on-scene rescuers were met with a chaotic scene of two boats mangled from what may have been a high speed collision.It is believed but not confirmed that there may have been 5 people on a boat that launched off a sand bank into the river channel when another ski-boat with 3 people onboard collided with them.A woman, approximately 25, suffered severe injuries to her leg believed to have been sustained by the propeller (which was still under power) severing a femoral artery and causing severe injury of her leg and severe lacerations. (Details are not clear).A doctor, a veterinary surgeon and a nurse, that happened to be in the vicinity at the time, rendered first aid treatment to the woman and stemmed blood flow from a severed artery.NSRI commandeered a river cruise boat to transport her to a waiting ambulance up river. She was rushed to hospital by Private Care ambulance in a critical condition and doctors continue treatment in an effort to save the leg.It appears that other patients, men and women, related to the accident have or are still receiving treatment in hospital for injuries sustained in the accident but it is not clear how they reached hospital as some people involved in the accident were no longer on the scene when NSRI and Private Care ambulance services arrived.Eye-witnesses and anyone with information should make a statement at the local Police Station.It appears that one boat collided with the other boat before hurtling through the air, over the boat with which it collided, but details are unclear.NSRI are urgently appealing to water users to exercise caution. Bathers be aware and extremely cautious of rip currents. Anglers be aware and extremely cautious while fishing from rocks along the shoreline. Boaters and paddlers wear your life-jackets at all times while on water, carry safety equipment and let a responsible person know of your launch time, your route and your return time. Children should have responsible adult supervision around all water.
Port Edward:In 4 separate incidents today, Sunday, 22nd December, NSRI Port Edward volunteer sea rescue duty crew responded at 05h30 to assist at Silver Beach where a 23 year old Pretoria North man sustained a fractured leg (fractured Tibia and Fibula) after his leg was crushed by the boat AL KAPITAN that he was assisting to hold in shallow surf head on into the incoming surf in a shore dump waves while preparing to launch to go to sea.NSRI Port Edward treated the man on the scene and he has been transported to hospital in a serious but stable condition by Netcare 911 ambulance services.At 09h00 the NSRI Port Edward duty crew treated a man at Silver Beach who suffered an injury to his hand sustained from a fish hook that had penetrated through his hand.The incident happened at sea while fishing aboard the boat PUMBAA and they had brought the 34 year old Port Edward man to shore where NSRI medics treated the wound and he went to hospital for further treatment by private transport.At 13h00 NSRI Port Edward crew treated an 8 year old male child, from Springs, suffering a severe head injury after hitting his head on rocks at Silver Beach.The child was brought to the Sea Rescue Port edward station and treated for a severe head injury.The child has been transported to hospital in a serious but stable condition by Netcare 911 ambulance services.At 14h00 NSRI Port Edward crew responded aboard the sea rescue craft DISCOVERY RESCUE RUNNER and WILD COAST SUN RESCUER to assist a 26 year old Port Edward man and a 50 year old Pretoria man reporting their jet ski to be sinking 1.5 nautical miles off-shore of Port Edward.On arrival on-scene both men were rescued and brought to shore and the jet-ski was recovered.It appears that the jet-ski had been in an accident in Gauteng previously and had been repaired but fibreglass had separated from the repair revealing a hole in the fuselage causing the jet-ski to fill with water and to start sinking.
Port Alfred:At 15h02, Sunday, 22nd December, NSRI Port Alfred responded to West Beach where eye-witnesses reported a man being swept out to sea.On arrival on-scene a 50 year old Grahamstown man was found on the beach suffering near drowning symptoms and he has been transported to hospital by an EC Government Health EMS ambulance in a stable condition for further treatment and for observation for secondary drowning.The man had been swept out to sea by rip currents and a young unidentified male who had been body boarding nearby had rescued the man from the water bringing him safely to the beach.
Jeffreys Bay:NSRI Jeffreys Bay have assisted in three incidents over the past few days including the evacuation of a 41 year old fisherman from the Chokka fishing boat RAFIKI who suffered a fishing hook through his hand two days prior and despite attempting to go on with normal fishing pain had increased leading to the skipper requesting medical assistance for the patient to be seen to in hospital.NSRI Jeffreys Bay launched the sea rescue craft Loved 1's 24.: and met up with the Chokka boat 8 nautical miles off-shore and the patient was brought to shore in a stable condition and transported to hospital in Humansdorp by Relay paramedic services.Then on Sunday, 22nd December, at 11h15, in two separate incidents boats got lost in thick fog off-shore of Jeffreys Bay. NSRI Jeffreys Bay launched the sea rescue craft Loved 1's 24.:, a Discovery Rescue Runner, a quad bike and a sea rescue vehicle and following a search 3 men were found on their semi rigid boat and brought safely ashore and later 5 males were found on their semi rigid boat and brought safely ashore.
Jeffreys Bay Loved 1s 24
