National Incident

NSRI Shelly Beach duty crew were activated following eyewitness reports of (believed to be) 2 red distress flares sighted 5 minutes apart at sea off-shore of South Port Anerley Beach.

Concerns increased after the eyewitnesses confirmed that at last light they had noticed a paddler behind the back breakers. It is unknown if that paddler had come ashore or if that paddler had perhaps deployed the flares but there are no indications of anyone missing or unaccounted for.

NSRI investigated and the KZN Surf Rescue Network was alerted.

Telkom Maritime Radio Services and TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Durban Port Control assisted.

Despite no reports of anyone overdue or missing at sea the situation is continuing to be monitored but at this stage it appears that the 2 red distress flares deployed offshore of South Port remains a mystery.

As a precaution, during the night, NSRI EOC, assisted by the NSRI training department, plotted a drift pattern, to determine where a paddler would be at first light if a paddler was adrift holding onto a paddle craft or adrift in a paddle craft.

Anyone with information related to this incident - that can help NSRI and the KZN Surf Rescue Network to shed light on these 2 flare sightings - can call NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) on the emergency only contact number: 0870949774.

FALSE BAY and the NSRI SafeTrx APP:

Brian Gosling, NSRI Gordons Bay duty coxswain, said:

At 17h36, Sunday, 16 June, NSRI Gordons Bay duty crew were alerted by NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) following an NSRI SafeTrx emergency alert from a local man, solo on a ski-boat, off-shore just past 5 houses, near to Gordons Bay, in the direction of Steenbras River Mouth, reporting motor mechanical failure.

Our NSRI duty crew responded to our NSRI Gordons Bay station 9 rescue base where the NSRI rescue craft Spirit of Surfski was launched.

NSRI EOC monitored the position of the ski-boat as she drifted prior to NSRI’s arrival on the scene.

On arriving at the casualty craft we found the man to be safe.

A towline was rigged and without incident we towed him to Gordons Bay Old Harbour, where we rafted alongside his casualty craft, bringing the craft safely into the harbour, and we assisted to recover the casualty craft onto her trailer and no further assistance was required.

NSRI SafeTrx APP:

This operation at Gordons Bay has again highlighted NSRI’s appeal to boaters, sailors and paddlers, to download and use the free NSRI SafeTrx smart phone app.

A similar incident, on 1 June, during the late morning, NSRI Gordons Bay launched the NSRI rescue craft Spirit of Surfski after a local man found himself in desperate difficulties after capsizing on a sea-kayak off-shore of Strand Pavilion.

He too used the NSRI SafeTrx smart phone app to raise the alarm through our NSRI EOC to alert us to his emergency automatically giving NSRI EOC his exact location.

The NSRI Gordons Bay rescue craft reached him swiftly and rescued him from the water and recovered his sea-kayak.

He was not injured and, thanks to the NSRI SafeTrx app, in both of these cases a search was not required because NSRI EOC had their exact positions - from the SafeTrx app.

A few days earlier, on 29 May, In the mid afternoon, in strong off-shore winds, NSRI Simonstown duty crew launched the NSRI rescue craft Spirit of Surfski II to initiate a search for 2 young local men who had raised the alarm, using a cell phone, reporting that they were being swept out to sea and were about 2 nautical miles off Roman Rock Lighthouse and being blown further out into False Bay.

A Police helicopter, in the area at the time, was authorised to assist in a search operation while our NSRI coast watchers were alerted to look out.

Fortunately, NSRI Simonstown located the 2 young men, thanks to our NSRI coast watchers who had been able to spot them adrift before losing sight of them, but that had given the responding rescue craft crew a good indication of where the 2 men were at the time, thanks to this effort.

On reaching them, they were on a small 3 meter rubber duck, with one outboard motor that had sustained mechanical failure, NSRI took them both onboard the rescue craft, treating them for hypothermia, and towed their craft to Simonstown Harbour where they required no further assistance.

Had they been using our free NSRI SafeTrx app a search would not have been necessary as SafeTrx gives an exact location to responding resources.

NSRI are appealing to seafarers to download and use NSRI’s free SafeTrx smart phone app - https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nsri.org.za%2Fwater-safety%2Fsafetrx%2F&data=05%7C02%7Cmaritha%40searescue.org.za%7C4718495c07c94a85469208dc8ea75624%7Cadc954c84e484dc28bfc642191590ed1%7C0%7C0%7C638542096596858148%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=hpWMEndJHqqlTHLJGqez4pX3tSgd2drZsAd%2Fj56N0S4%3D&reserved=0