Incidents on Christmas day included 2 successful rescues with bystanders using NSRI pink rescue buoys in Jeffreys Bay and Lamberts Bay:  

JEFFREYS BAY:Rieghard Janse van Rensburg, NSRI Jeffreys Bay station commander, said:At 09h25, Tuesday, 25th December, 2 teenagers, a boy aged 14 from Paarl and a girl aged 13 from Port Elizabeth, who were swimming at the beach near to the Jeffreys Bay Caravan Park when they were caught in a rip current.The teenage brother of the 14 year old went into the surf and he rescued the female bringing her safely to shore. He then grabbed the NSRI Pink Rescue Buoy off the pole at the beach and he went back into the surf and using the pink buoy he rescued his brother bringing him safely to shore.An NSRI member from NSRI Station 37 Jeffreys Bay arrived on the scene and he brought all 3 teenagers to our sea rescue station to be checked out medically and the 14 year old was administered medical oxygen for non-fatal drowning symptoms before being cleared and released requiring no further assistance.NSRI commend the actions of the teenager who rescued his brother and the girl who we believe is his cousin.At 10h47, Tuesday, 25th December, NSRI Station 17 Jeffreys Bay received a call reporting a kayaker in trouble of the Botha Street slipway in Paradise Beach. It was reported that the kayak could be seen overturned with no visuals on the kayaker and it was suspected that the kayaker could be trapped or under water.Sea rescue craft were launched and NSRI rescue swimmers responded to the scene by road and it was found that the 57 year old local man had come ashore safely after being capsized on an exposed reef and he swam ashore and his kayak washed ashore.At 10h59, Tuesday, 25th December, NSRI Staion 37 Jeffreys Bay received of two kayakers who appeared to be in serious trouble off Albatros beach appearing to be struggling to get back to shore from deep-sea.On arrival on the scene both kayakers, aged 30 and 22, from Bloemfontein, had made it safely to shore.At 15h29, Tuesday, 25th December, NSRI Station 37, Jeffreys Bay, received a call from Aston Bay Neighbourhood watch of a confirmed shark sighting of Walskipper Beach and that they were having difficulty warning all the swimmers.We dispatched our rescue vehicle and on arrival on the scene we used the rescue vehicle's air-horn to warn the swimmers who left the water safely without incident.It appears that 2 confirmed shark sighting of shark species unknown were spotted in the area and bathers were warned to be cautious.At 18h03, Tuesday, 25th December, NSRI Station 37 Jeffreys Bay received a call from a member of the public regarding a penguin on the beach at Tappas beach. They had managed to catch the penguin.We dispatched our rescue vehicle and collected the penguin which we safely delivered to local authorities and no further assistance was required.WILDERNESS:Mike Vonk, NSRI Wilderness deputy station commander, said:NSRI Station 23 Wilderness were activated at 12h35, Saturday, 25th December, to reports of a man fallen on rocks and suffered injuries East of the Wilderness Hotel.NSRI crew responded with the sea rescue mobile 2km along the beach to reach the barely accessible location and on arrival on the scene hiked half a kilometer to reach the patient on the rocks.The casualty, a 77 year old man, from George, had a suspected hip injury and suspected query neck of femur fracture.NSRI medics initiated medical care and the NSRI mobile returned to our sea rescue station to fetch a WC Government Health EMS rescue technician and additional crew and returned to scene to assist casualty.After thorough assessment and medical care the casualty was loaded onto a backboard and carried 400m along the rocky beach back to the NSRI mobile. We were assistance by members of public to carry the patient.At the NSRI mobile we were met by an EMS paramedic who had been brought along beach by Police on a quad bike.Further medical care was applied by the paramedic before the patient was loaded onto the NSRI mobile and transferred back to our Sea Rescue station and he loaded into the EMS ambulance and taken to hospital in a stable condition accompanied by his wife.LAMBERTS BAY:Stewart Seini, NSRI Lifeguard Manager, said:At 15h20, Tuesday, 25th December, NSRI lifeguards and NSRI Lamberts Bay responded to Malkopbaai following reports of a drowning in progress, approximately 3 kilometers from Lamberts Bay.On arrival on the scene we found a male teenager, 13, had been rescued by a tourist from George who is an ex lifeguard.The ex lifeguard, Wium Albertyn, had tried to enter the water to assist but because of the rocky beach front he had attempted to enter the water from 3 different places.A bystander brought Wium the NSRI Pink Rescue Buoy, stationed at that beach,and Wium swam into the surf and he reached the teenager and used the pink buoy to tow the teenager safely to shore.Wium is commended for their efforts and admits that the pink buoy played a vital role in the rescue.