National Calls

LAMBERT'S BAY:Christo Filander, NSRI Lamberts Bay station commander, said:At 22h30, Thursday, 07th July, NSRI Lamberts Bay duty crew were activated following a request for assistance from the fishing trawler Ruwekus reporting a 49 year old local crewman onboard to be suffering chest pains suspected to be from a cardiac condition.We launched our sea rescue craft Douglas Murray and WC Government Health EMS were activated.On arrival on the scene, a nautical mile off-shore of Lamberts Bay, the patient, found to be in a stable condition, was transferred onto our sea rescue craft and brought into Lamberts Bay harbour and handed into the care of EMS paramedics and he was transported to hospital in a stable condition by EMS ambulance and following treatment in hospital he has since been released from hospital.

WITSAND:Theo Erasmus, NSRI Witsand duty coxswain, said:At 14h33, Saturday, 09th July, NSRI Witsand duty crew were activated following a request for assistance from a local 88 year old man reporting that he was on a 6 meter rigid inflatable boat with his son in law and with his grandchild and beached on a sand bank in the river.Normally NSRI advise in these situations to wait for high tide and then the boat can easily be pushed off the sand bank but the 88 year old man reported that he has a breathing medical condition so as a precautionary measure NSRI launched our sea rescue craft Breede Rescuer and on arrival on the scene we assisted them off the sand bank without incident and they went on their way requiring no further assistance.WILDERNESS:Hennie Niehaus, NSRI Wilderness station commander, said:At 17h55, Saturday, 09th July, NSRI Wilderness duty crew were activated following a request for assistance from a family at Victoria Bay.A young man reported that his mom had gone for a walk around rocks to look for Mussels but after waiting a while for her to return she had failed to return and with fading light they feared for her safety.Knowing the area well we urged them to begin a search from the railway line while we dispatched a rescue crew by road to go to investigate and to join in a search but while we were responding to the scene the young man reported that they had found his mom safe and they required no further assistance and our rescue crew stood down as we were no longer required.DURBAN:Paul Bevis, NSRI Durban coxswain, said:At 22h15, Saturday, 09th July, NSRI Durban duty crew were activated following reports from eThekwini Fire and Rescue Services of a drowning in progress at Battery Beach, Durban.The NSRI Durban duty crew responded to the sea rescue station to prepare to launch our sea rescue craft while I responded directly to the scene to investigate.eThekwini Fire and Rescue Services were reportedly already responding to the scene and the Police Search and Rescue Unit were activated.On arrival on the scene I found Fire and Rescue Services already on the scene and they had initiated a search from on the pier conducting a visual search for a swimmer that eye-witnesses had reported to have been spotted in difficulty in the surf but the casualty could not be spotted in the night sea.A local bystander, Attie Venter, believed to be aged in his 40's, ran past me reporting that he could see the man in the surf and Mr. Venter launched into the sea and swam out into the calm night sea conditions while I donned my wet suit to swim out to assist.I then launched through the surf and while swimming out towards Mr. Venter I could see that he had reached the casualty and Mr Venter was swimming the casualty towards the beach from about 50 meters off-shore and on my reaching them we were all able to stand in chest deep water and I assisted Mr. Venter to wade the casualty through the remaining surf-line and get the casualty safely to the shore.Once safely ashore the casualty, a 31 year old local male, was found to not be injured and we suspect that the reason for him being in difficulty in the surf at night was that he had perhaps been wading in the shallow surf line when he was caught in a rip current and swept out to sea by rip currents.Mr. Venter is commended for his assistance in rescuing the casualty.HERMANUS:Giepie Loubser, NSRI Hermanus duty controller, said:At 13h38, Sunday, 10th July, NSRI Hermanus duty crew were activated following a request for assistance from a local man reporting motor mechanical failure on his 4.7 meter rubber duck off-shore of De Kelders with only the one man onboard.We launched our sea rescue craft Hunters Gold Rescuer and on arrival on the scene we took the casualty boat under tow and towed him to Gansbaai safely without incident and he required no further assistance.GORDONS BAY:Ivan Bauser, NSRI Gordons Bay duty coxswain, said:At 14h21, Sunday, 10th July, NSRI Gordons Bay duty crew were activated by the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) following a request for assistance from a rubber duck with 4 people onboard, all young males from Mitchell's Plain, reporting battery power failure 1 nautical mile off-shore of the Eerste River river mouth (near to Macassar).We launched our sea rescue craft Spirit of Surfski and on arrival on the scene found all 4 young men safe and we took them under tow and towed them safely to Gordons Bay harbour without incident and once their craft was recovered they required no further assistance.TO REPORT A SEA RESCUE EMERGENCY DIAL 112 FROM A CELLPHONE