Teenagers assisted, East London. Family assisted, Still Bay.

EAST LONDON:At 08h30, Saturday, 20th February, NSRI East London duty crew were activated following reports from a bystander at Nahoon Beach of a local male teenager reporting his friend, also a local male teenager, being swept out to sea off-shore of Nahoon Beach on a surf-ski.NSRI East London launched the sea rescue craft Spirit of Lotto, the NSRI rescue vehicle responded and EC Government Health EMS, an EMS rescue helicopter and Buffalo Metro Life Saving activated and responded to begin a search in rough seas with a 30 knot South Westerly wind.It was determined that the two teenagers were paddling on two surf-skis on the Nahoon River when they decided to exit the river mouth to try out paddling the surf-skis at sea.According to their reports they were both caught in strong rip currents and they were swept out to sea.One teenager managed to reach shore at Nahoon Beach and he raised the alarm with public members on the beach who alerted lifeguards and called the NSRI.The EMS helicopter landed on the beach to interview the teenager and it was reported that he had lost sign of his friend who was last seen being swept out to sea off-shore of Nahoon Beach.An extensive air, sea and shoreline search commenced for the missing teenager and during the search the surf-ski was found unmanned approximately 1.5 nautical miles off-shore of Bonza Bay but no sign of the teenager was found.Later, during the ongoing search, the missing teenager was found safe on the beach and he confirmed that he had abandoned the surf-ski and he had managed to swim to shore.Both teenagers required no further assistance.STILL BAY:At 21h30, Saturday, 20th February, NSRI duty crew were activated following a request for assistance from a family on a boat that they reported had suffered motor mechanical failure on the Goukou River, North of the Riverside camping site and reporting to be drifting in a strong outgoing tide.The sea rescue craft Colourpress II was launched onto the Goukou River and negotiating sand banks in a strong outgoing tide NSRI Still Bay rescuers responded up the river in search of the family on their boat.A sea rescue vehicle responded along the road alongside the river.The family were located 1 kilometer North of the Riverside Camping site with 6 persons onboard, safe on their 5.5 meter boat.Onboard was a 52 year old husband, and his wife and three daughters, the youngest being 9 years old. An adult male friend was also onboard, they are all from Somerset West and staying at the Riverside camping site on holiday.NSRI Still Bay towed them back to their camping site at the Riverside Camping site, occasionally getting off the boats to push the boats over sandbanks in the shallow outgoing tide, and once safely at the camping site they required no further assistance. -ENDS- TO REPORT A SEA RESCUE EMERGENCY DIAL 112 FROM A CELLPHONE