NSRI Incidents at Strand and at Knysna

NATIONAL SEA RESCUE INSTITUTE (NSRI) MEDIA RELEASE:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

STATION 9, GORDONS BAY

A female was rescued after she may have fallen into the water off the jetty at Strand Pavilion.

Alan Meiklejohn, NSRI Gordons Bay station commander, said:

At 12h54, Friday, 25 September, NSRI Gordons Bay duty crew were activated following reports of a drowning in progress at Strand Pavilion.

NSRI crew responded to our satellite NSRI station at Strand beach and the sea rescue craft Rescue 9 Bravo was launched.

NSRI shore controllers and NSRI rescue swimmers responded directly to the scene.

The City of Cape Town (CoCT) water rescue network was alerted by NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) and the SA Police Services, CoCT Fire and Rescue Services, GB Med Security ambulance service, ER24 ambulance service, a WC Government Health EMS rescue squad and WSAR (Wilderness Search and Rescue) responded.

CoCT Law Enforcement and CoCT Law Enforcement Marine Unit were placed on alert.

On arrival on the scene a female, fully clothed, was found being swept out to sea in rip currents at Die Poort after she may have fallen into the water from the jetty at Strand Pavilion.

An NSRI rescue swimmer launched into the water from the pavilion and he reached the female, who was floating on her back, and she was secured by the rescue swimmer as the sea rescue craft arrived on the scene.

The adult female, believed to be a local, was brought safely to shore and she was medically treated by paramedics for hypothermia and she has been transported to hospital by a GB Med Security ambulance in a stable condition.

NSRI commend the swift response by all emergency services to this incident.

STATION 12, KNYSNA:

A local man was assisted after he swam after the roof of his Day Cruiser Boat which was reportedly blown off the boat earlier on the lagoon.

Jerome Simonis, NSRI Knysna station commander, said:

At 17h01, Friday, 25 September, NSRI Knysna duty crew were activated following eye-witness reports of an unidentified object afloat on Knysna Lagoon and drifting towards The Knysna Heads.

Eye-witnesses reported an object described as maybe being the wing of an aeroplane, or the upturned hull of a boat, adrift in The Knysna Heads in strong 25 knot Westerly winds.

Our duty crew responded to our sea rescue station and launched our sea rescue jet-rib Katharine.

On arrival on the scene we found a local man who had swum out to what was identified as the roof of his Day Cruiser Boat.

The man was taken onboard our sea rescue jet-rib and a towline was established to hold the roof from drifting any further.

Our sea rescue craft Jaytee IV was launched and she was used to tow the roof to shore where it was beached and secured next to our sea rescue station and the roof will be recovered by the owner.

It appears that the crew onboard the local man's Day Cruiser Boat alerted him that the roof of his boat had blown away in strong winds and was drifting towards The Heads.

He had arrived on the shore and he swam out to the roof and attached a towline to attempt to swim the roof to shore but in the strong winds the large roof was being blown further out towards The Heads when NSRI were alerted by eye-witnesses.

-ENDS-

The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) is the charity organisation that saves lives on South African waters – both coastal and inland. Our goal is to prevent drowning through rescue operations, education and prevention initiatives.

Operating from base stations along the SA coastline, and on inland dams, our rescue volunteers are on call, at all hours, every day of the year. Our rescue crew receives no payment and neither do we charge the people we rescue.

We visit schools around the country, teaching children about water safety. Our drowning prevention measures include our online training academy, with free courses for crew and the public, emergency signage, Pink Rescue Buoys for emergency flotation, rescue swimmers, lifeguards, and active patrols during peak seasons.

Our organisation is totally reliant on donations and sponsorships. This enables us to do the work of saving lives, changing lives, and creating futures.

You can do your bit to assist. Please visit www.nsri.org.za for more information.

SEA RESCUE EMERGENCY: 112 or 087 094 9774

Released by:

Craig Lambinon

SEA RESCUE COMMUNICATIONS

Email: communications@searescue.org.za | Cell: +27 (0) 82 380 3800 | www.searescue.org.za