RESCUE OPERATIONS / 17 DECEMBER 2016

Busy day for rescuers on the public holiday

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STRUIS BAAI:Reinard Geldenhuys, NSRI Agulhas station commander, said:At 08h40, Friday, 16th December, NSRI Agulhas duty crew dispatched our sea rescue craft I&J Rescuer and our rescue vehicle to the Surfside of Struisbaai, following a request for assistance from 3 local men on a 5 meter ski-boat reporting to be taking water in the surf zone.We requested the men to run their ski-boat, Zheti, onto the beach to save their boat from sinking.On our arrival on the scene all 3 men, aged in their 30’s, were found safe on the beach with their craft and we assisted them to recover their craft. They were not injured.It appears that they had struck an unidentified object in the water causing damage to their hull and an ingress of water into their boat.WITSAND:Theo Erasmus, NSRI Witsand station commander, said:At 10h09, Friday, 16th December, NSRI Witsand duty crew dispatched our sea rescue craft Breede Rescuer to Rooiwalle, on the Breede River, following reports of a boat reported to be sinking.On arrival on the scene we found 2 men safe on their small boat but suffering motor mechanical failure and not sinking but requiring mechanical motor assistance.An NSRI crew member managed to repair their boat motor and the 2 men went on their way requiring no further assistance.SHELLY BEACH:Jeremiah Jackson, NSRI Shelly Beach station commander, said:At 10h54, Friday, 16th December, NSRI Shelly Beach duty crew dispatched our sea rescue craft Spirit of Dawn, accompanied by a boat mechanic, to assist the boat Trio, off shore of Shelly Beach, suffering motor failure.On arrival on the scene the mechanic assisted to fix the motors and the boat beached at the Shelly Beach boat slipway escorted by our sea rescue craft without incident and no further assistance was required. KOMMETJIE:Ian Klopper, NSRI Kommetjie station commander, said:At 11h45 NSRI Kommetjie duty crew responded to a report of a Kayak capsized with 2 persons onboard at Inner Kom.One male had managed to swim to shore without assistance and a local diver had assisted a 15 year old local male to shore.The sea rescue craft IL Battello responded.On NSRI’s arrival on the scene both were found safely ashore and NSRI assisted to recover the kayak which had washed onto the rocks.The 2 casualties, suffering mild hypothermia were treated and transported on our sea rescue Quad bike to our sea rescue base where family collected them and no further assistance was required.Then at 14h00 we investigated reports of 2 surfers suspected to be in difficulty off-shore of Wireless Road, Kommetjie, but on investigation we found the 2 surfers surfing and requiring no assistance.KALK BAY:Darren Zimmerman, NSRI Simonstown station commander, said:At 14h33, Friday, 16th December, NSRI Simonstown dispatched the sea rescue craft Spirit of Surf-ski II and a rescue vehicle to Danger Beach, Kalk Bay, following reports of a person being swept out to sea by rip currents.Law Enforcement Marine officers, Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services and lifeguards also responded to investigate.On arrival on the scene it could not be confirmed if a person suspected to be in difficulty in the surf had managed to get out of the surf and a search was conducted but after no reports of anyone overdue or missing were found rescue resources were released from the scene with nothing found.WILDERNESS:Robert van Helsdingen, NSRI Wilderness station commander, said:At 15h21, Friday, 16 December, NSRI Wilderness duty crew responded to the braai area at the Wilderness Lagoon following reports of 2 children in trouble in the lagoon by wilderness beach in the shallow water.On NSRI’s arrival on the scene Eden 911 ambulance services paramedics were found tending to 2 young male children suffering non-fatal drowning symptoms and WC Government Health had also arrived on the scene to assist.Both children, who had reportedly been assisted out of the water by bystanders after getting into difficulty while swimming in the lagoon, were transported to hospital by ambulance in stable conditions for observation for secondary drowning symptoms and they are both expected to fully recover.PORT EDWARD:John Nicholas, NSRI Port Edward station commander, said:While on stand-by at Port Edward Main Beach for the day our NSRI Port Edward duty crew were requested to assist the SA Police Services in Port Edward town who were dealing with reports of multiple stabbing incidents.At 16h15, Friday, 16th December, NSRI medics responded to assist the Police and our NSRI medics, in three separate incidents, treated three teenagers for stab wounds.One suffering multiple stab wounds to the chest, one suffering stab wounds and blunt trauma injuries to the head and torso and one suffering stab wounds to his lungs.We split up our NSRI medical crew and equipment to tend to all 3 cases at different addresses in town and all 3 patients were stabilised.All 3 teenagers (aged in their late teens) are from the Transkei.Kwa-Zulu Natal Government Health EMS arrived on the scene and EMS paramedics took over care of the patients who were transported to hospital in stable conditions by EMS ambulance.MONWABISI:Vaughn Seconds, NSRI Strandfontein station commander, said:At 18h21, Friday, 16th December, NSRI Strandfontein duty crew were activated following unconfirmed reports of a drowning in progress at Monwabisi beach.Law Enforcement and lifeguards were reportedly on the scene when it was learnt that a local male, 37 years old, had been recovered from the water and CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) efforts were believed to be in progress.WC Government Health EMS were activated but on arrival on the scene it was found that the man had swallowed some water while swimming and as a precaution he was transported to hospital by ambulance for observation for secondary drowning after showing non-fatal drowning symptoms. PORT AFRED:Juan Pretorius, NSRI Port Alfred station commander, said:At 19h10, Friday, 16th December, NSRI Port Alfred duty crew dispatched our sea rescue craft Rescue 11 Alpha and our rescue vehicle to West Beach following reports of men in difficulty in the surf reportedly being swept out to sea by rip currents.On arrival on the scene it was found that 3 men had been swept out to sea by rip-currents when 2 men had managed to get out of the water, they were treated by Holistic ambulance services paramedics for non-fatal drowning symptoms and both men, aged 27, believed to be from a Grahamstown military base, were transported to hospital by ambulance in stable conditions for observation for secondary drowning symptoms and they are both expected to fully recover. An extensive search continued for one man who remained missing in the surf, aged 27, believed to be from a Grahamstown military base, but despite an extensive search no sign of the missing man has been found and the SA Police Services and a Police dive unit are continuing with an ongoing search operation.Police have opened an investigation into the incident.Earlier in the day, at 15h09, NSRI Port Alfred duty crew responded to West Beach where a 17 year old male was in difficulty in the water.It is believed that the teenager was assisted out of the surf and he was transported to hospital by ambulance in a stable condition for observation for secondary drowning symptoms and he is expected to fully recover. DURBAN:Clifford Ireland, NSRI Durban station commander, said:At 20h10, Friday, 16th December, NSRI Durban duty crew were placed on alert following eye-witness reports of 2 red distress flares sighted in the vicinity of Winklespruit.On investigation NSRI rescuers confirmed that the red distress flares had been set off from the beach for unknown reasons and no further assistance was required. 10869671_1593422294225067_4102846277658470453_o