Incidents at Melkbosstrand, Port Elizabeth, Mykonos, Plettenberg Bay and Port Alfred.

National – Boat capsizes - Melkbosstrand. Female rescued after being swept out to sea - Gqeberha. Yacht runs aground - Langebaan. Medically ill man airlifted - Robberg Nature Reserve. Whale carcass towed - Port Alfred.:

MELKBOSSTRAND:

Peter O'Hanlon, NSRI Melkbosstrand station commander, said:

At 13h21, Friday, 24 September, NSRI Melkbosstrand duty crew were activated following reports of a boat washing onto rocks at Slabberet se Klippe, North of Melkbosstrand, with 4 crew onboard, 2 adult males and 2 children, a male and a female.

The sea rescue craft Rescue 18 Bravo was launched and NSRI Lifeguards responded.

An NSRI Lifeguards arrived on the scene first and launched a Malibu rescue board and reached all 4 casualties, whose 4 meter Skiff boat had by that stage capsized, and they were holding onto the upturned hull of their capsized boat.

Our NSRI lifeguard assisted the 4 casualties and on the arrival of the sea rescue craft they were taken on board and taken away from danger.

Additional NSRI crew had already launched the sea rescue craft Rotary's Gift and on arrival on the scene the 4 casualties were transferred from Rescue 18 Bravo and taken onboard the Rotary's Gift and they were brought to shore.

The 4 casualties, from KwaZulu Natal, were not injured and they had all been wearing wetsuits and life-jackets which aided them after their boat was swamped by a wave and washed towards rocks before capsizing.

Our NSRI tractor was dispatched and we were able to recover their boat as it washed ashore at Main Beach and no further assistance was required.

NSRI commend the swift response to this emergency.

GQEBERHA:

Jonathan Tufts, NSRI Gqeberha deputy station commander, said:

At 20h00, Friday, 24 September, NSRI Gqeberha duty crew were activated following eye-witness reports of cries for help coming from the direction of the Swartkops River Mouth, near to the N2 Swartkops Bridge.

The Gqeberha Water Emergency Rescue Committee had also been alerted and NSRI Gqeberha dispatched the sea rescue craft Boardwalk Rescuer, which was towed to the scene and launched onto the river, while the sea rescue craft JLT Rescuer was launched to approach the river mouth from the sea side.

Coastal Water Rescue, the SA Police Services, a Police Dive Unit, Bluewater Bay lifeguards, The Beach Office, EC Government Health EMS, Bluewater Bay Neighbourhood Watch and Bluewater Bay Environmental members were dispatched and initiated a shoreline search and investigations.

Bluewater Bay lifeguards launched a RHIB (rigid hull inflatable boat) rescue craft onto the river.

An adult male was located on one of the bridge columns and he was brought to shore aboard the Bluewater Bay lifeguards rescue craft.

It was determined that he and an adult female had been fishing from one of the columns and while returning to shore aboard their 2.5 meter craft, with a 5 horse power motor, they had capsized in the wake of another boat.

The man had managed to swim to the bridge column but the female was swept out to sea.

On the sea rescue craft JLT Rescuer arriving on the scene a sea search commenced and during the search the female was found, at 23h12, adrift approximately 500 meters out to sea after she had been swept out of the river mouth.

She was rescued onto the sea rescue craft and exhausted and hypothermic NSRI medics immediately commenced treatment for hypothermia.

We believe that she had been in the water for over 2 hours.

She was brought to the NSRI Gqeberha sea rescue base and taken into the care of EMS paramedics and she was transported to hospital by EMS ambulance in a stable condition.

The man was not injured and he returned home to Uitenhage after he required no further assistance.

LANGEBAAN:

Mike Shaw, NSRI Mykonos station commander, said:

At 01h10, Saturday, 25 September, NSRI Mykonos duty crew were activated following a request for assistance from a local 34 foot sailing yacht reporting to have run aground between Schaapen Island and Donkergat, on Langebaan Lagoon, after striking a water pipe that appears to have come loose from its weighted down anchorage, and one person, a local 25 year old male, was trapped below decks under a table, caused by the impact of striking the water pipe.

The sea rescue craft Spirit of Surfski 5 was launched and on arrival on the scene NSRI crew boarded the yacht and in a technical rescue operation freed the entrapped man from under a table in the cabin of the yacht.

The man was secured onto a spine board and medically treated for serious injuries and transferred onto our sea rescue craft.

We brought him to Mykonos Marina where we were met by WC Government Health EMS.

He was taken into the care of EMS paramedics and transported to hospital by EMS ambulance in a stable condition. He is expected to make a full recovery.

As the tide rose the yacht was able to be freed from where she ran aground and the crew confirmed that they were safe and heading to a mooring at Kraal Bay for the rest of the morning and they would continue to Saldanha Bay on Sunday.

PLETTENBERG BAY:

Jaco Kruger, NSRI Plettenberg Bay station commander, said:

At 10h24, Friday, 24 September, NSRI Plettenberg Bay duty crew, Med-Life paramedic services and Nature Conservation officers were activated following reports of a 52 year old male collapsed unconscious on the Robberg Nature Reserve hiking trail.

A doctor, who happened to be there at the time, was assisting.

NSRI, Med-Life paramedics and Nature Conservation officers arrived on the scene where the patient was treated for a medical condition and he was secured into a Stokes basket stretcher.

The EMS/AMS Skymed rescue helicopter was activated and the patient was airlifted to the car park and then transferred into a Med-Life ambulance and transported to hospital in a serious but stable condition.

NSRI commend the mutiple resources cooperation on this operation.

PORT ALFRED:

Juan Pretorius, NSRI Port Alfred station commander, said:

On Friday, 24 September, NSRI launched the sea rescue craft Lotto Challenger after the carcass of a whale, drifting off-shore across Port Alfred, threatened to beach in the vicinity of East Beach.

On arrival at the whale carcass we established a towline and towed the whale out to sea.

NSRI and Ndlambe Municipality will monitor the carcass which is expected to come ashore further North of Port Alfred.

A shark warning, posted by NSRI and Ndlambe Municipality, remains in place for Port Alfred.