NEW MOON SPRING TIDE WARNING:NSRI are urging extreme public caution around the coast today and over this coming week with the NEW MOON SPRING TIDE which peaks on Monday the 18th December.NSRI are urging public awareness about Spring Tides to highlight safety around the coast and general safety to bathers, anglers, paddlers, sail boarders and boaters around the coast with the new moon Spring Tide now upon us beach bathers and shoreline anglers are most at risk.Swim at beaches only where lifeguards are on duty and obey the safety instructions of the lifeguards and only swim within the safe swimming zones lifeguards mark (using their red and yellow flags).Children should have responsible adult supervision around water.Anglers fishing along the shoreline, particularly along rocks on the shoreline, are at greatest risk during the Spring Tide where incoming waves during the high tides engulf higher than normal over rocks.Anglers should not turn their back to the sea and should be vigilant and cautious of the wave action at all times while fishing.The next Spring Tide is the Full Moon Spring Tide on 02 January.
Incidents around the coast:EAST LONDON:At 06h10, Sunday, 17th December, NSRI East London duty crew were activated following reports of a drowning in progress at Eastern Beach.The sea rescue craft Spirit of Rotary EL II and the Lotto Rescue Runner were launched and NSRI rescue swimmers and the SA Police Services, a Police K-9 Search and Rescue team, a Police Dive Unit and the Buffalo City Fire and Rescue Services responded.Despite an extensive search no sign of a 25 year old local man has been found.We believe that a group of people were swimming when the missing man was caught in rip currents before disappearing under water.Police K-9 Search and Rescue and a Police Dive Unit will continue an ongoing search operation and Police have opened an investigation.
GANSBAAI and HAWSTON:At 19h28, Saturday, 16th December, NSRI Hermanus duty crew were activated following reports of what was suspected to be persons in difficulty in the water off-shore of Kruismansbaai, Danger Point, Gansbaai.NSRI Hermanus rescue swimmers responded in a sea rescue vehicle and the WC Government Health EMS and Overstrand Medical Response responded.On arrival on the scene NSRI Hermanus found 2 boats washed onto rocks about 100 meters off-shore in the kelp line.4 NSRI rescue swimmers swam out to the 2 boats where they found 4 people on the 2 boats.One of the boats, a 3 meter row-boat dinghy, was swum to shore through the kelp with one of the casualties remaining onboard (one of the casualties assisted NSRI rescue swimmers to swim the boat to shore) and a rope that the NSRI rescue swimmers attached to the second boat, a 4.5 meter rubber-duck, and 2 of the casualties remained on that boat.Once the row-boat was brought ashore the rope that was attached to the second boat was used to pull the second boat ashore.Once all 4 men and both boats were safely ashore the EMS paramedics checked on the 4 men and they were not injured and required no further assistance.It appears that a father and his 2 sons from Bellville, aged 57, 33, 27, launched a new rubber-duck for the first time onto the water. The rubber duck capsized and washed towards the shore landing up on rocks in the kelp line.A local man from Gansbaai launched his row-boat to go to their assistance but both boats ended up on rocks in the kelp line.At 21h26, NSRI Hermanus were then alerted to 2 boats seen by eye-witnesses off-shore of Bettys Bay, with one boat towing the other boat, and the eye-witness was concerned that both boats disappeared into the night and raised the alarm fearing for their safety.The SA Police Services investigated slip-ways along the coast and at one slip-way at Hawston there was evidence was found at around 22h16 of boats that had recently been recovered at the slip-way and with no persons reported overdue or missing we suspect that both boats were safely out of the water and recovered.
TABLE BAY:At 11h46, Saturday, 16th December, NSRI Table Bay duty crew were activated by the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) following a request for assistance from the yacht Kula, with 3 crew onboard, a man and 2 women, off-shore of Granger Bay.The sea rescue craft Spirit of Day was launched and it was confirmed that a private rigid inflatable boat (RIB), Jet Boat 2, had taken the yacht under tow.On arrival on the scene the skipper of Jet Boat 2 confirmed that he was satisfied to continue with the tow effort and NSRI escorted Jet Boat 2 towing Kula to Granger Bay without incident where the yacht was safely berthed and no further assistance was required.
RICHARDS BAY:At 11h25, Saturday, 16th December, NSRI Richards Bay duty crew were activated by the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) following reports of a dinghy with an electric motor capsized in the Port of Richards Bay with 2 people onboard.A man and a 12 year old boy were fishing when their boat capsized.Both were rescued from the water by the TNPA tug boat Idalazi and a TNPA pilot boat, Jojosi, recovered the dinghy.NSRI Richards Bay launched the sea rescue craft Spirit of Round Table II and on NSRI’s arrival on the scene the 2 casualties were transferred onto the sea rescue craft and brought to shore to a beach and NSRI then collected the dinghy from the TNPA pilot boat Jojosi which was brought to shore and recovered.The 2 fishermen were not injured and no further assistance was required.
TO REPORT A SEA RESCUE EMERGENCY DIAL 112 FROM A CELLPHONE
