Call to Duty: NSRI Shelly Beach Crew Responds to Drowning Alert

At 17h00, Monday, 1 January, NSRI Shelly Beach duty crew were activated following reports of a drowning in progress at Shelly Beach, near to Shelly Beach Sunny Evans Ski-boat Club.

NSRI Shelly Beach crew, KwaZulu private ambulance services, the SA Police Services and Police Search and Rescue responded.

On arrival on the scene bystander Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) efforts were in progress on a 63-year-old male, on holiday in KZN from Mount Frere, Eastern Cape, who had had been recovered from the water by 3 bystander Good Samaritans in what appeared to be a drowning accident.

NSRI medics and KwaZulu Private ambulance paramedics continued with CPR.

After all efforts to resuscitate the man were exhausted sadly the man was declared deceased.

The body of the man was taken into the care of Government Health Forensic Pathology Services.

Police have opened an inquest docket.

Condolences are conveyed to the family of the deceased man.

Friends who are on a holiday to Shelly Beach, Willie and Riana Pieterse, from Scottburgh, and Piet and Cecilia Bezuidenhoudt, from Thabazimbi, and their families, were departing their holiday home to go to a restaurant when a lady shouting for help drew their attention.

Realizing a drowning was progress Willie, his son Nico and Piet, launched into the water to help the man who had disappeared under water.

Willie had a body board with him.

Cecilia raised the alarm calling NSRI and the emergency services while Riana comforted the family of the casualty, his wife and children.

Men, from the ski-boat club, grabbed 3 life-jackets from their ski-boat and gave them to Piet and Nico who then reached where the man had gone underwater.

Willie was nearby on the body board.

Piet and Nico were able to recover the man and brought him to where Willie was and they then used the body board and the life-jackets to get the man to the shore.

Once on the shore, Willie, who is an advanced commercial diver, initiated Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation efforts and was joined by NSRI and paramedics.

They are commended for their combined efforts to rescue the man from the water and to initiate CPR to try save the man's life.

The wife and her children, of the deceased man, are returning to Mount Frere today. NSRI and Ray Nkonyeni Municipal authorities, in cooperation with Police and Forensic Pathology Services, are providing supporting care to the family in this difficult time.