Jet-skiers assisted – Knysna. Boaters assisted – Hermanus:  

KNYSNA:

Jerome Simonis, NSRI Knysna station commander, said:

At 15h50,  Wednesday, 11th December, NSRI Knysna duty crew were activated following reports from Knysna Fire and Rescue Services who received eye-witness reports of a jet-ski accident on Knysna Lagoon in the vicinity of Belvedere. The reports were from a family reporting an adult male family member had fallen off a jet-ski and the 9 year old daughter of family friends was still on the jet-ski but adrift on the lagoon.

Our sea rescue craft Jolen was launched and our NSRI rescue vehicle, Knysna Fire and Rescue Services and NSRI rescue swimmers responded.

On arrival on the scene we found the man swimming to shore and the girl safe but adrift on the jet-ski on the lagoon.

It appears the local man and the 9 year old daughter (of family friends) were riding together on a jet-ski when the man fell off the jet-ski and the kill-switch (attached to his arm) stopped the motor of the jet-ski when he fell off but the jet-ski drifted away from him in currents.
Currents were too strong for the man to swim to catch up with the jet-ski and the jet-ski, with the girl on the jet-ski, drifted away from the man.
He swam to shore against the currents which took him approximately 20 minutes to get the 200 meters to shore because of strong currents.

The girl stayed on the jet-ski, safe but adrift on the lagoon.

Our NSRI crew on our sea rescue craft located the jet-ski and the girl on the lagoon. She was taken aboard the sea rescue craft and we towed the jet-ski to shore safely and she was reunited with her family and the jet-ski was recovered.

Once the man and the girl were safely reunited with their families and the jet-ski was recovered no further assistance was required.

HERMANUS:

Deon Langenhoven, NSRI Hermanus station commander, said:

At 17h24, Wednesday, 11th December, NSRI Hermanus duty crew were activated following eye-witness reports of a RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) with 4 people onboard taking water and drifting towards rocks off-shore of Hermanus.

NSRI rescue crew responded to the shoreline to get visuals of the casualty craft and we launched the sea rescue craft Rotarian Burnett and reached the casualty craft before she reached the rocks and we found the 4 local men safe on their boat, one an was suffering motion sickness, and their boat had sustained motor failure.

We took them under tow and towed them to Hermanus harbour and assisted them to recover their boat.

WC Government Health EMS were activated and they provided medical care to the man suffering motion sickness and following treatment he required no further assistance.

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