PHOTOS / 2 FEBRUARY 2017

Canadian teenager transported to hospital following non-fatal drowning accident

Darren Zimmerman, NSRI Simon's Town station commander, said:At 13h07 on Thursday the 2nd of February, NSRI Simon's Town duty crew and CMR (Cape Medical Response) responded to Dias Beach, Cape Point, following reports of a drowning in progress.Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services and TMNP (Table Mountain National Parks) rangers were activated.The AMS/EMS Skymed rescue helicopter and WC Government Health EMS were placed on alert due to the distance from the main car park at Cape Point to the scene at Dias Beach.On arrival on the scene rescuers hiked to the beach where they found an 18 year old male, from Canada, out of the water and he was treated for non-fatal drowning symptoms and hypothermia.We believe that a group of at least 30 Canadians (aged in their teens and early 20's, believed to be students on a tour) were at the beach after arriving at Cape Point in a tour bus and some had gone swimming and body-boarding at Dias Beach.The 18 year old was swept out to sea by rip currents and a fellow Canadian female, aged in the same age group, (also part of the tour group), launched a body-board to go to his aid, paddling about 100 meters out to sea she reached him and managed to assist him back to the beach.She is commended for the rescue.The teenager was hiked to the car park at Cape Point secured into a Stokes basket stretcher and he has been transported to hospital by CMR ambulance in a stable condition.All services that attended, NSRI Simon's Town, TMNP rangers, City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services and CMR paramedics are commended for their response and for their assistance on the scene.Pictures attached: By NSRI Simon's Town, of the teenager being treated on the beach by paramedics and of the teenager being hiked to the car park secured into a Stokes basket stretcher.