Margate – Sunday, 13th March. Boat capsizes:

At 12h40, Sunday, 13th March, NSRI Shelly Beach duty crew were activated following eye-witness reports of red distress flares fired from a capsized boat approximately 2 nautical miles off Margate Beach.

The Sea Rescue craft Spirit of Dawn and Caltex Challenger were launched and on arrival on the scene the charter boat Sosume was found capsized with 9 persons in the water.All 9 men were rescued onto the sea rescue craft and although suffering mild hypothermia only one man, a 31 year old from Pretoria, had sustained an injury suffering a fish hook embedded in his left ankle area.8 of the men were transferred onto the private boat Mama Mia and they were taken ashore where Hibiscus Medivac ambulance services were on hand where the 31 year old Pretoria man was transported to hospital for treatment for the fish hook. All were medically assessed by paramedics and some treated for mild hypothermia and these remaining 7 men required no further assistance.

The skipper of the casualty craft remained onboard the sea rescue craft and together with the private boat Isabelle and the private boat Mama Mia attempts to right the capsized craft at sea were not successful and the casualty boat was towed to Margate Beach where the boat was righted in the surf-line and put on her trailer and no further assistance was required.

It is suspected that rough sea conditions may have contributed to the capsizing of the boat.