The good weather brought thousands of people to the beaches ~ multiple stations responded to callouts across the country.
PLETTENBERG BAY:Marc Rodgers, NSRI Plettenberg Bay station commander, said:At 09h07, Saturday, 28th December, NSRI Plettenberg Bay duty crew were activated following eye-witness reports of a Trans Agulhas competitor boat capsized off-shore of Robberg Point.Sea rescue craft responded and on arrival on the scene 2 males were rescued onto sea rescue craft and brought to our sea rescue station, one male arranged to go to hospital to be medically checked following the incident.The casualty boat was righted and then towed and recovered at our sea rescue station.At 10h56, NSRI Plettenberg Bay duty crew were activated to assist at the Robberg Nature Reserve hiking trail where a female, age 20, from Durban, suffered a twisted ankle while hiking.Nature Conservation officers were standing-by on the scene at the hiking party at the Wild Side of Robberg hiking trail.On NSRI crew arrival on the scene the patient was stabilised and secured into a Stokes basket stretcher and we hiked her to the car park and she has been transported to hospital by her dad for X-Rays.NSRI commend ranger Eben Lourens, of Nature Conservation, who arrived on the scene first and comforted the casualty and provided assistance on the scene until additional rescue crews arrived.KNYSNA:Jerome Simonis, NSRI Knysna station commander, said:On Saturday, 28 December, at 11h36, NSRI Wilderness, who were managing a checkpoint for the Trans Agulhas inflatable boat race, were contacted by a member of public reporting a Trans Agulhas competitor boat that had capsized near to Buffalo Bay.NSRI Knysna was informed and we activated our duty crew and responded with 3 sea rescue craft. On arrival at the reported location the inflatable boat could not be located and it transpired that the casualty crew has been able to self-recover the boat to the shore and had called their support crew and transported their boat by road to Mossel Bay.At 16h44, NSRI Knysna duty crew responded sea rescue craft to Bufallo Bay following reports of a drowning in progress.On arrival on the scene 3 persons who had been in difficulty in the surf were already on the shore and being attended to by WC Government Health EMS and all 3 were reportedly transported to hospital by ambulance in stable conditions.WILDERNESS:Mike Vonk, NSRI Wilderness deputy station commander, said:At 11h38, NSRI Wilderness were informed by a member of public of another capsized Trans Agiulhas competitor boat, near Herold’s Bay.Our duty crew responded from the NSRI rescue base in Wilderness, towing the sea rescue craft Clemengold Rescuer to Herold’s Bay. The George Municipality Fire & Rescue Service responded from George with a Jetski and was first on scene. The competitor crew of the capsized boat had managed to right their boat and reportedly restarted the engine, but the had engine cut out shortly thereafter. The vessel was being blown by a strong South Easterly wind past Voelklip and onto the nearby rocks. The jetski crew offered the casualties a rope and instructed them to jump into the water so that they could be recovered on to the jetski’s sledge. The crew were concerned about their vessel and remained on board, until the boat capsized a second time. The inflatable boat crew were then able to clamber onto the rocks with the assistance of lifeguards. The lifeguards had responded from Herold’s Bay.The casualties were able to climb up the side of steep cliff and at the top were assessed by an ER24 paramedic. Western Cape Government Health EMS had also responded and were on scene to assist. One casualty was taken to hospital by ambulance for suspected rib injuries. The other casualty required no further treatment. The competitor’s inflatable boat could not be recovered due to the strong wind and waves that were washing the boat against the rocks.The response of all the emergency services who participated in the rescue is commended, along with members of the public who assisted NSRI with launching rescue craft. PORT ALFRED:Chris Pike, NSRI Port Alfred deputy station commander, said:At 06h56, Saturday, 28th December, NSRI Port Alfred duty crew were activated following reports of a RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) cap[sized in the Kowie River Mouth and sucked out the mouth by currents with a male and a female onboard.We launched the sea rescue craft Lotto Challenger and Rescue 11 Alpha and our sea rescue vehicle responded and a male and a female, from Queenstown, were rescued onto sea rescue craft and their boat was righted and towed to the small boat harbour and recovered.At 09h06 NSRI Port Alfred duty crew dispatched our sea rescue vehicle and we launched the sea rescue craft Rescue 11 Alpha and Lotto Challenger following reports of 16 foot Catamaran power boat capsized off-shore of Port Alfred.On arrival on the scene 1 man was found clinging on to the upturned hull and it was reported that 2 men were trapped in the cabin below water.NSRI rescue swimmers were deployed into the water to free dive to search for the 2 men when at that time both men surfaced and they were rescue onto the sea rescue craft.They were brought to shore and the 3 men, 1 local man and 2 men from Kimberley, were medically checked by Guardmed ambulance services and required no further assistance.The casualty boat was too water logged to right or recover and was anchored for salvage to be arranged by the owners later.DURBAN: Jonathan Kellerman, NSRI Durban station commander, said:At 16h31, Saturday, 28th December, NSRI Durban duty crew were activated, accompanied by Netcare 911 rescue paramedics, to rendezvous with a container ship approaching Durban to patient evacuate a 27 year old crewman, from Brasil, suffering a medical emergency.The sea rescue craft Alick Rennie was launched and responded and on meeting up with the ship the Netcare 911 rescue paramedic and NSRI crew were transferred onto the ship and the patient, in the care of the rescue paramedic, was transferred onto our sea rescue craft and brought to our NSRI rescue base and he has been transported to hospital by Netcare 911 ambulance in a stable condition.SHELLY BEACH:Gary Wolmerans, NSRI Shelly Beach deputy station commander, said:At 10h13, Sunday, 29th December, NSRI Shelly Beach were activated following reports of a boat capsized in the surf at Shelly Beach Main Beach.NSRI Shelly Beach duty crew and Med-Evac ambulance services responded.Local charter boats crew’s had assisted all 4 people of the capsized boat to shore and the boat was recovered.One man of the capsized boat was transported to hospital by Med-Evac ambulance in stable condition.HOUT BAY:Geoff Stevens, NSRI Hout Bay station commander, said:At 14h38, Sunday, 29th December, NSRI Hout Bay duty crew launched sea rescue craft to rendezvous with a charter boat off-shore of Hout Bay reporting a child male passenger onboard suffering a laceration to the head after bumping his head onboard.The sea rescue craft rendezvoused with the charter boat and the child was treated for a minor laceration on the head and no further assistance was required.WC Government Health EMS that were responded were stood down after no further assistance was required.
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