UPDATE: Corrections from the mom of the young boy:
For the record, I would like to make a few corrections to the details above:
- Sylvan (Kommetjie) was stuck in chest deep mud for several (+3.5) hours before anyone could physically get to him
- His father was not able to be with us over the weekend because he had to work. It was a close family friend, Tim (Noordhoek), who very slowly and carefully made his way, via a series of 2 SUP manoeuvre’s on top of the mud, out to Sylvan so that he could get him out of the mud, keep him warm and reassure him that help was on the way.
- After a few attempts to return, it was deemed far too risky, and the decision made to stay put until further assistance arrived.
- if it was knee deep mud or we were able to paddle out to him in any way there would not have needed to be a rescue mission.
Matthys Kog, NSRI Lamberts Bay station commander, said:At 12h49, Sunday, 21st January, NSRI Mykonos and NSRI Lamberts Bay duty crews were alerted by the SA Police Services to a father and son stuck in the mud of the Verloring Vlei on a farm near Elands Bay. NSRI Lamberts Bay dispatched a NSRI rescue vehicle.It appears that the 7 year old son rowed a canoe on a small patch of water on the drying out vlei and the canoe got stuck in mud and he climbed out of the canoe and then got stuck in knee deep mud.His Dad, 42, they are from Noordhoek, Cape Town, rowed a canoe out to his son to try to help but he also got stuck. They managed to shelter on one the canoes while calling for help.On NSRI's arrival on the scene the SA Police Services and WC Government Health EMS rescue squad were in attendance and the EMS/AMS Skymed helicopter had been activated.The father and son were winched out of the muddy vlei to dry land and reunited with family and no further assistance was required.The canoes could not be recovered.
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