FALSE BAY:Darren Zimmerman, NSRI Simon's Town station commander, said:At 13h46, Friday, 12 June, NSRI Simon's Town duty crew were activated following reports of a surfer suspected of being washed out to sea at St James Beach and eye-witnesses reporting the male surfer on a red surfboard waving his arms towards the shoreline in what appeared to be an obvious signal for help.NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) were alerted.NSRI Simon's Town and NSRI Strandfontein crew in the area were requested to head to observation posts in the vicinity to look out towards the area, a CMR (Cape Medical Response) vehicle was dispatched to the top of a Boyes Drive observation post, the sea rescue craft Spirit of Safmarine III was launched, NSRI ASR (Airborne Sea Rescue) were activated, the EMS/AMS Skymed rescue helicopter was prepared and authorised by Metro Control to respond and WSAR (Wilderness Search and Rescue) members responded to establish landing zones for the helicopter if required.CoCT (City of Cape Town) water rescue network was alerted.Additional eye-witness reports were received and NSRI crew observing from the shoreline established visual contact with the surfer who was confirmed to appear to be in distress, caught in rip currents and being swept out to sea and he was waving and shouting for help.While our sea rescue craft responded towards the scene it appeared that the surfer was able to paddle free of the rip current and he was observed paddling to shore and he reached the shore at Baileys Cottage, Muizenberg.NSRI crew rendezvoused with the man on Muizenberg beach finding him to be tired but safe and he required no medical attention.Responding resources were stood down.NSRI gave the man a lift by road to his parked car at St James beach and no further assistance was required.
SOETWATER:Kelly-Ann Irving, NSRI Kommetjie deputy station commander, said:At 13h30, Saturday, 13 June, NSRI Kommetjie duty crew were activated following reports from Soetwater Resort security personnel suspecting a man on a windsurfer in difficulty off-shore of Soetwater Resort.The sea rescue craft Spirit of the Vines was launched and NSRI rescue vehicles responded to observation posts on Witsand Road.NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) and CoCT (City of Cape Town) water rescue network were alerted.Fishing boats were observed passing the search area and Telkom Maritime Radio Services broadcast an alert on the VHF marine radio emergency frequency requesting vessels in the area to be on the lookout.NSRI crew who were dispatched to question the eye-witness received a clear indication of a search area for what had appeared to be a yellow windsurf sail going down in the surf and no further contact was observed.NSRI crew who were dispatched to the Crayfish Factory parking area to investigate confirmed that members of the public who were there at the time had observed no windsurfers launching and no vehicles appeared to belong to anyone overdue from the sea.A sea search by crew on our sea rescue craft and a shoreline search observed only a few whales in the search area and we are confident that this was a false alarm with good intentions.No reports of any person missing or overdue has been received.
PRINGLE BAY:Alan Meiklejohn, NSRI Gordon's Bay station commander, said:At 17h32, Saturday, 13 June, NSRI Gordon's Bay duty crew were activated following eye-witness reports of a kite-surfer fallen off his kite-board between 300 meters to 500 meters off-shore of Pringle Bay.Eye-witnesses could still observe the kite and the board drifting in the water but no sign could be seen of the man who had been on the kite-board.The NSRI Gordon's Bay sea rescue craft Jack and Irene was launched and NSRI Kleinmond were activated.While responding to the scene the eye-witnesses confirmed that the man had swum safely ashore but the kite-board and kite-sail remained adrift at sea.NSRI Kleinmond launched the sea rescue craft Jaytee III to respond to recover the kite-board and while responding it was then confirmed that 2 persons on a SUP (stand-up paddle board) had reached the kite-board and they recovered the kite-board and the kite-sail and returned the equipment to the owner and no further assistance was required and all responding resources stood down and returned to base.
DURBAN:Jonathan Kellerman, NSRI Durban station commander, said:At 09h02, Sunday, 14 June, NSRI Durban duty crew were activated following a request for assistance from 2 local men on jet-ski's 1 kilometer off-shore of Warner beach after one of their jet-ski's suffered engine failure.The sea rescue craft Spirit of Surfski 6 was launched and our NSRI sea rescue vehicle responded by road.On arrival on the scene we found both men safe with one of their jet-ski's suffering engine failure.The man from the casualty jet-ski was taken ashore on his friends jet-ski and he collected his vehicle and trailer and he drove to Vetchies beach.Our sea rescue craft towed the casualty jet-ski to Vetchies beach where it was recovered onto the owners trailer and no further assistance was required.
HERMANUS:Deon Langenhoven, NSRI Hermanus station commander, said:At 12h19, Sunday, 14 June, NSRI Hermanus duty crew were activated following a request for assistance from Annamarie Botha reporting her husband, Frikkie, age 56, from Johannesburg, to be on Hermanus Lagoon on a kite-board and appearing to be in need of rescue.The kite-board kite-sail was down in the water and it appeared that Frikkie could not get the kite-sail airborne and he was adrift on the lagoon and not wearing a wetsuit or a lifejacket Annemarie feared for his safety.Our NSRI sea rescue vehicle responded to the scene towing the sea rescue craft Maritimus which was launched at Hermanus Yacht Club.Annemarie reported that she had lost visuals of Frikkie on the lagoon and additional public members and yacht club members in the area were looking out for him and reporting to our NSRI members on the scene while a search and rescue operation commenced.WC Government Health EMS were placed on alert.During a search hikers on the Kleinrivier mountain range reported seeing a kite-boarder fitting the description drifting on Hermanus Lagoon towards Stanford.During a search the kite-board and sail was located and recovered on the shore at Mosaic Farm on the opposite shoreline across from the yacht club and a short time later Frikkie was located walking along the shore towards the sea rescue craft after he had abandoned the kite-board and swum ashore.Frikkie and his kite-board equipment was taken onboard our sea rescue craft and brought to Prawn flats where he was reunited with Annemarie and no further assistance was required.
HOUT BAY and LLANDUDNO:Sven Gussenhoven, NSRI Hout Bay duty controller, said:At 13h21, Sunday, 14 June, NSRI Hout Bay crew dispatched our NSRI sea rescue vehicle to the foot of Baviaanskloof, in the vicinity of Kronendal, to establish a landing zone for the EMS/AMS Skymed rescue helicopter that was engaged in a mountain rescue call on Baviaanskloof.While assisting WC Government Health EMS and WSAR (Wilderness Search and Rescue) at the landing zone NSRI received a call for a possible sea-kayak suspected to be in difficulty off-shore of Llandudno where a person could be seen swimming next to a man on a sea-kayak.Our NSRI Hout Bay duty crew were placed on alert and our NSRI sea rescue vehicle diverted to Llandudno where the sea-kayak and the swimmer were observed arriving safely ashore at Sandy Bay and the 2 local men confirmed that they had not been in any difficulty and that they were only paddling and swimming and no assistance was required.
