The NSRI’s SafeTrx app, which provides precise location data, has proven crucial in reducing response times and ensuring the safety of seafarers.
The NSRI is urging seafarers, particularly surf-skiers, kayakers and small-craft enthusiasts, to download and use the free NSRI SafeTrx smartphone app following several successful rescue operations that have highlighted its effectiveness.
On Sunday, June 16, at 20h30, the NSRI Shelly Beach duty crew was activated after eyewitnesses reported two red distress flares sighted five minutes apart at sea off South Port Anerley Beach. The situation became more concerning when the witnesses also noticed a paddler behind the back breakers at last light, with no further indication of their status.
NSRI, alongside the KZN Surf Rescue Network, Telkom Maritime Radio Services, and TNPA Durban Port Control, investigated the sightings. Despite no reports of missing persons, the situation was closely monitored.. As a precaution, NSRI plotted a drift pattern to determine where the paddler might be at first light if they were adrift.
On the same evening, the NSRI Gordons Bay duty crew was alerted by the NSRI Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) following an NSRI SafeTrx emergency alert from a local man on a ski boat off Gordons Bay, reporting motor mechanical failure. The NSRI rescue craft Spirit of Surfski was launched and towed the casualty craft to Gordons Bay Old Harbour without incident, thanks to the precise location provided by the SafeTrx app.
A similar incident occurred on June 1 when a man capsized on a sea kayak off Strand Pavilion. He used the SafeTrx app to alert NSRI EOC, which allowed the rescue craft to swiftly locate and rescue him without the need for a search operation.
Additionally, on 29 May, NSRI Simonstown launched a rescue craft to search for two young men on a kayak out to sea near Roman Rock Lighthouse. While they were later found, thanks to NSRI coast watchers, the incident highlighted how using the SafeTrx app could have provided an exact location, further reducing search times.
These incidents underscore the importance of the NSRI SafeTrx app. NSRI is appealing to all boaters, sailors, and paddlers to download and use this free app, which provides precise location data for rescue operations, significantly enhancing safety and response efficiency.
The NSRI SafeTrx app can be downloaded at NSRI SafeTrx
- Herman Eloff
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