Water Safety Appeal / Shark alert for Oyster Bay / Incidents around the country:  

JEFFREYS BAY:Michael van den Bergh, NSRI Jeffreys Bay station commander, said:At 15h59, Sunday, 22nd December, NSRI Jeffreys Bay duty crew were alerted to a drowning in progress at Main Beach, Jeffreys Bay.NSRI rescue swimmers that responded directly to the scene found a 17 year old Egyptian male tourist had been rescued from the surf by Kouga Municipal lifeguards.The teenager, suffering non-fatal drowning symptoms, was medically treated and taken into the care of Guardmed ambulance services paramedics and he has been transported to hospital in a stable condition.PORT ALFRED:Stephen Slade, NSRI Port Alfred station commander, said:At 10h37, Sunday, 22nd December, NSRI Port Alfred duty crew responded aboard the sea rescue craft Lotto Challenger and rendezvoused with a Chokka fishing boat, outside of the Kowie River Mouth, to patient evacuate a 23 year old crewman, from the Transkei, suffering a medical emergency.The patient was transferred onto the sea rescue craft and brought to our NSRI rescue base and he has been transported to hospital by EC Government Health EMS.At 13h10, Sunday, 22nd December, NSRI Port Alfred duty crew responded aboard the sea rescue craft Lotto Challenger and rendezvoused with a Chokka fishing boat, at Kwaaihoek, near to Kenton-On-Sea, to patient evacuate a fisherman aged in his 30’s, from Lesotho, suffering a medical emergency.The patient was transferred onto the sea rescue craft and brought to our NSRI rescue base and he has been transported to hospital by Guardmed ambulance.EC Government Health EMS were also on stand-by at our NSRI rescue base to assist.WITSAND:Martin Fourie, NSRI Witsand station commander, said:At 10h42, Sunday, 22 December, NSRI Witsand duty crew launched the sea rescue craft Breede Rescuer to assist a boat with fuel starvation at Contiki on the Witsand side.On arrival on the scene we found 2 men on a river boat and they were towed to the Breede River where their boat was recovered.FALSE BAY:Darren Zimmerman, NSRI Simon's Town station commander, said:At 17h19, Saturday, 21st December, NSRI Simon's Town and NSRI Strandfontein were alerted to a local yacht with 7 crew onboard taking water after colliding with an underwater reef at Seal Island, False Bay.The yacht was reported to be 4 nautical miles East of Roman Rock and mayday on VHF Marine channel 71 had been relayed to NSRI by a fishing vessel who intercepted the call.NSRI Strandfontein duty crew stood by to respond and the NSRI Simon's Town sea rescue craft Spirit of Safmarine III and Spirit of Surfski 2 responded with water extrication pumps.2 fishing boats were diverted to assist in case the yacht crew needed to abandon their yacht which was not required. Those fishing boats are commended for their assistance.On arrival on the scene water pumps were transferred onto the yacht and we escorted the yacht to Simon's Town Yacht Club while water was being extricated and once in the harbour the yacht was recovered onto the slipway and repairs will be carried out by the owners.KOMMETJIE:Kelly-Ann Evada Irving, NSRI Kommetjie deputy station commander, said:NSRI Kommetjie recovered a surfboard for a surfer that lost their surfboard at sea on Saturday, 21st December.The sea rescue craft Spirit of the Vines was launched and we located and recovered the surfboard off-shore of Long Beach in between Kommetjie and Chapman’s Peak and returned the surfboard to the owner.The surfer had swum ashore earlier after his surfboard leash snapped separating him from his board.MOSSEL BAY:Andre Fraser, NSRI Mossel Bay station commander, said:At 12h00, Saturday, 21st December, NSRI Mossel Bay duty crew responded to Grootbrak where a ski-boat with 5 crew onboard capsized during the Carpe fishing derby while the craft was returning to Mossel Bay.The sea rescue craft Vodacom Rescuer 4 and a a Police Dive Unit and Police Sea Bordeline Control Police boat responded.A fellow fishing competition boat, Go Fish, assisted on the scene prior to NSRI arriving taking all 5 crew off the upturned hull of the boat and took the 5 crew to Mossel Bay harbour and one crewman suffered minor injuries and was checked by By Grace ambulance services paramedics but required no further attention following medical treatment.NSRI righted the boat, assisted by Police, and the boat was towed to Mossel Bay harbour and recovered.NSRI commend the crew of Go Fish for their assistance.During this call NSRI Mossel Bay monitored a boat appearing to have motor mechanical failure and later determined to have both motors running and heading to Mossel Bay from Vleesbaai.SHELLY BEACH:Jeremiah Jackson, NSRI Shelly Beach station commander, said:At 14h49, Friday, 20 December, NSRI Shelly Beach duty, at the request of Shelly Beach Control, crew launched the sea rescue craft Spirit of Dawn to assist a commercial boat reporting one motor suffering mechanical motor failure.NSRI rendezvoused with the casualty boat which had reduced steering capability at the backline and NSRI took the boat under tow.Crew were taken off the boat and brought to shore. NSRI were assisted by Med-Evac ambulance services.The casualty came in safely to the beach with reduced crew on her one motor and no further assistance was required.PORT EDWARD:Gert du Plessis, NSRI Port Edward station commander, said:At 06h05, Friday, 20th December, NSRI Port Edward duty crew were alerted to a man suffered injuries from a motor boat’s propellors.NSRI medics and Med-Evac ambulance services responded. On arrival on the scene an adult male was treated for injuries sustained by boat motor propellors and he has been transported to hospital by MedEvac ambulance in a stable condition.OYSTER BAY:Johannes Lodewyk van Rensburg, NSRI Oyster Bay station commander, said:On Thursday, at 10h04, NSRI Oyster Bay duty crew were activated following reports of a whale carcass behind the surfline 400 meters off-shore of Main Beach. Oyster Bay.NSRI St Francis Bay duty crew were also alerted with consideration made to prepare to attempt to tow the carcass out to sea and the sea rescue craft Spirit of St Francis II was launched.NSRI Oyster Bay crew launched our sea rescue craft Oyster Bay 1 and Oyster Bay 2 and were able to secure a rope to the whale in 4 to 6 meter swells and in amongst a large number of sharks feeding on the carcass but the carcass washed ashore during attempts to drag it out to sea.Kouga Municipality are arranging contractors to attend to the carcass for safe removal and disposal.Sharks attracted to the carcass has resulted in increased shark activity in the area and caution is advised.In other incidents:HARTBEESPOORT DAM:Arthur Crewe, NSRI Hartbeespoort Dam station commander, said:NSRI Hartbeespoort Dam are appealing to boaters to be cautious in and around Hyacinth.This appeal follows 2 incidents last weekend where boats were trapped in dense Hyacinth on Hartbeespoort Dam.NSRI Hartbeespoort Dam duty crew assisted the crew of these 2 boats and both boats in both incidents were recovered without incident.NATIONAL:NSRI are appealing to bathers to heed warnings made by lifeguards on beaches. This after beaches between Herolds Bay and Sedgefield were closed to bathing due to strong rip currents and unfavourable sea conditions brought on by adverse weather conditions.It does happen from time to time where Municipalities are forced to issue closed beach notices and this is in the interests of public safety and the lifeguards appealing to bathers not to swim should be heeded.