A local lifeguard has saved a teenager who was swept away by rip currents at Herolds Bay. An NSRI pink rescue buoy contributed in the rescue.
Garth Dominy, NSRI Wilderness station commander, said:At 15h53, Tuesday, 25 August, NSRI Wilderness duty crew were activated following reports of a teenager being swept out to sea at Herolds Bay.Our duty crew responded to our sea rescue station and the sea rescue craft Clemengold Rescuer was launched.NSRI rescue swimmers, WC Government Health EMS rescue squad, the SA Police Services, Frontier Medix medical services and Eden 911 ambulance services responded directly to the scene.On arrival on the scene NSRI rescue swimmers found a local lifeguard, Tristin de Swardt, age 20, who was assisting a local 16 year old male out of the water and bringing the casualty teenager onto the beach.Our sea rescue craft also arrived on the scene as casualty teenager was brought onto the beach.The teenager was medically assessed and found to be suffering suspected non-fatal drowning symptoms.A doctor, who happened to be on the beach at the time, assisted in medical care on the scene and NSRI have thanked her for her assistance on the scene.The patient was taken into the care of paramedics and he has been transported to hospital, as a precaution for observation for non-fatal drowning symptoms, in an Eden 911 ambulance and the patient is in a stable condition.The local lifeguard who assisted, Tristin de Swardt, has told NSRI that he happened to be on the beach when he noticed a group of 6 teenagers, aged approximately 16, who had arrived at the beach and they appeared to be preparing to jump off rocks into the sea on the Eastern side of Herolds Bay.Tristin approached them and asked them if they were competent swimmers as the sea conditions were confused seas with a 2 to 2.5 meter swell with strong rip currents evident.They told Tristin that they were competent.The first teenager who jumped into the water was immediately caught in a rip current and he was swept out to sea.His friends did not follow him.Bystanders raised the alarm.Tristin attempted to swim out to the teenager but the currents were too strong and Tristin realised that he needed his swimming rescue flippers if he was going to swim out to the teenager.Tristin swam back to the shore and he got his rescue flippers out of his car and ran back to the rocks where bystanders had by that stage grabbed the NSRI pink rescue buoy off the pole nearby and they had thrown the rescue buoy to the teenager who was able to get a hold of the rescue buoy but he was still caught in rip currents and he was still being swept further out to sea.Tristin jumped off the rocks into the sea and he swam after the teenager and he was able to reach the teenager.Tristin calmed the teenager down and with the teenager using the pink rescue buoy for floatation and with Tristin aided by the strength of his rescue flippers Tristan assisted the teenager to swim towards the middle of Herolds Bay until they were free of the rip currents.Then with the teenager still using the aid of the pink rescue buoy for floatation and Tristin using his rescue flippers for swimming strength Tristin swam the teenager to shore safely.NSRI commend Tristin for his efforts in saving the teenagers life today.NSRI also commend the bystanders who threw the NSRI pink rescue buoy to the teenager that contributed to saving the teenagers life.
~ ENDS ~ The Pink Rescue Buoys are a community initiative, sponsored by the community, for the community. A Pink Rescue Buoy should be on its pole or used in a rescue. If you see someone with a Pink Rescue Buoy, and they are not a Sea Rescue volunteer who is in uniform, the Pink Buoy is probably stolen. Please report them to us on 0870949774 or
pinkrescuebuoys@searescue.org.za
