NSRI safety appeal and incidents around the coastline and at Hartbeespoort Dam:

NSRI are appealing to the public, bathers, boaters, paddlers and sail boarders, to have a safety conscious approach when in and around coastal and inland water ways. Home swimming pools should always have secure safety barriers and children should be supervised by responsible adults, without distractions, when children are in and around water.

SALDANHA:

NSRI Mykonos duty crew responded aboard the sea rescue craft Spirit of Surf Ski 5 at 20h15, Saturday, 4 December, and assisted a 35 foot sailing Catamaran with engine failure in reduced wind conditions. Without incident we towed the vessel to St Helena Bay Harbor where she will repaired before continuing her voyage to the Caribbean, said Mike Shaw, NSRI Mykonos station commander. The operation completed at 04h00 on Sunday.

HARTBEESPOORT DAM:

NSRI Hartbeespoort Dam duty crew responded on Saturday, 4 December, at 15h28, to assist a small boat stranded on a sandbank in a storm, with rough waters and severe weather, with 2 adults and 2 children onboard. They had sought shelter after drifting into a cove after suffering engine failure. A second boat came to assist them and also suffered engine failure. The sea rescue craft Sea Legs was launched. The mom and her 2 children were transferred onto our sea rescue craft, said Arthur Crewe, NSRI Hartbeespoort Dam station commander. Both boats were towed safely to shore without incident. NSRI then returned to assist a third boat to shore safely that had been struggling against the weather.

BAKOVEN:

At 18h00, Saturday, 4 December, NSRI Bakoven duty crew were activated and the sea rescue craft Gemini Legend was launched following multiple eye-witness reports of a double sea-kayak capsized Barley Bay, next to Bakoven, in 45 knot gusting Southerly winds. A male and a female couple, aged 22 and 25, from Rondebosch, were swept out to sea to off-shore of Clifton while continuing to capsize and fall out of their craft despite desperate attempts to recover. We reached them on the North side of South Lions Paw, between 2 and 3 nautical miles from where they first capsized, said Andrew Hirsch, NSRI Bakoven duty coxswain. Both were rescued onto the sea rescue craft with their sea-kayak and they were brought to the NSRI Bakoven sea rescue base where they were treated for hypothermia before being released. The eye-witnesses are commended.

MELKBOSSTRAND:

NSRI Melkbosstrand duty crew launched the sea rescue craft Rescue 18 Alpha while NSRI rescue swimmers responded to Slabbert se Klippe after being activated at 17h58, Saturday, 4 December, following eye-witness reports a Pencil racing duck appearing to be in difficulty and being swept across the shore line in 20 knot South Easterly winds. Their craft suffered engine failure shortly after launching at the Melkbosstrand slip-way, said Hein Köhne, NSRI Melkbosstrand deputy station commander. The 2 men, aged in their mid 20’s, abandoned their craft and swam ashore from behind the breaker line and on NSRI arriving on the scene they were safely ashore with one of them displaying non-fatal drowning symptoms. He was medically treated before being released. The sea rescue craft caught up with the casualty craft that was still afloat at sea and towed the craft back to the slipway where it was recovered.

KNYSNA:

At 06h55, Friday, 3 December, NSRI Knysna duty crew, WC Government Health EMS and the Police Dive Unit were activated following an eye-witness report of a man fallen out of his sea-kayak off-shore of The East Head Café. NSRI crew were sent to the NSRI lookout point on East Head. The sea rescue craft Jaytee IV and Katharine were launched. The man was spotted in rough seas drifting in the vicinity of Coney Glen. On arrival on the scene the man was found on the rocks at Coney Glen where he had managed to get onto the rocks after abandoning his sea-kayak. 2 NSRI rescue swimmers were deployed into the water and the 53 year old local man was rescued onto our sea rescue craft and he was brought to our sea rescue base where he was medically assessed by EMS paramedics before being released, said Jerome Simonis, NSRI Knysna station commander.. The sea kayak remains adrift at sea broken in half. The eye-witness is commended.

LANGEBAAN:

NSRI Mykonos duty crew responded aboard the sea rescue craft Spirit of Surf Ski 5 after being activated at 22h49, Thursday, 2 December, to assist 3 local fishermen on a 5.2 meter Super Cat with engine failure on “The Line”, Langebaan Lagoon, and dragging anchor. They were taken under tow and towed safely to shore without incident, said Mike Shaw, NSRI Mykonos station commander.

RICHARDS BAY:

NSRI Richards Bay and Police Sea Borderline Patrol were activated at 18h24, Wednesday, 1 December, following reports of a drowning in progress at Alkanstrand. The sea rescue craft Spirit of Round Table II was launched while our sea rescue vehicle, with NSRI rescue swimmers, and Police divers responded directly to the scene. On arrival on the scene 2 NSRI rescue swimmers entered the water armed with a soft rescue buoy and they used a rip current to swiftly reach the 16 year old local male who was caught in the rip current and being swept out to sea. The 2 rescue swimmers secured the teenager and he was rescued onto the sea rescue craft that arrived on the scene a short while later. He was brought to shore where we medically treated him for hypothermia and for non-fatal drowning symptoms, said Richard Schouten, NSRI Richards Bay shore controller. Med Care 24 ambulance services were dispatched and the teenager was transported to hospital in a stable condition and he has made a full recovery. The swift response that contributed to saving the teenagers life is commended.

CAPE VIDAL:

NSRI St Lucia duty crew launched the sea rescue craft Wild Coast Sun Rescuer and responded to Cape Vidal at 15h15, Thursday, 25 November, to assist a Pretoria owner on his recreational spear fishing boat, with 5 crew onboard, including a St Lucia skipper, at anchor, 5 nautical miles from Cape Vidal, after suffering engine failure to both outboard motors. They had been spear fishing when the skipper called the spear fishermen out of the water and back to the boat after having trouble to start one motor and while heading towards Cape Vidal on one motor the second outboard motor failed. NSRI St Lucia also dispatched a sea rescue vehicle towing the sea rescue craft Searanger to Cape Vidal. On arrival on the scene at 16h30 the sea rescue craft Wild Coast Sun Rescuer took the casualty boat under tow. A camp visitor volunteered his tractor to assist in recovering the casualty boat on the beach on their arrival. During the tow sea conditions deteriorated with a 2 to 3 meter swell and 12 to 15 knot Southerly winds. Searanger was launched at Cape Vidal and assisted to transfer casualty crew from the casualty craft onto Wild Coast Sun Rescuer. With the owner remaining on the casualty craft, in big sea swells, the craft capsized and the owner was rescued onto Searanger and brought safely to shore. The casualty craft washed ashore approximately a nautical mile North of Cape Vidal Bay where the tractor was used to recover the craft which was collected the next day, said Jan Hoffman, NSRI st Lucia station commander.

SAFETY ALERT:

NSRI are appealing to boaters, paddlers and sail boarders to download and use the free NSRI RSA SafeTRX cellphone application when launching to go to sea. Always wear a properly fitting life-jacket while your craft is underway and carry safety gear, a fully charged cellphone in a water tight plastic sleeve, red distress flares and a referee whistle. Know how to use your safety equipment.

Bathers should only swim at beaches during the times that beaches are patrolled by lifeguards and swim in between the lifeguards red and yellow flags.

We are appealing to water users to have safety top of mind in and around coastal and inland waterways.