NSRI's Lifesaving Efforts Across Hout Bay, Bloubergstrand, and Simonstown

Spencer Oldham, NSRI Hout Bay station commander, said: At 11h43, Sunday, 18 August, NSRI Hout Bay duty crew were activated following reports of a drowning in progress at Hout Bay Beach.

Hout Bay CCP (Community Crime Prevention), NSRI rescue swimmers, WC Government Health EMS, the SA Police Services and our NSRI Hout Bay rescue vehicle responded.

Our NSRI Hout Bay jet-ski was launched.

On arrival on the scene 3 adult ladies, who appear to have found themselves caught in rip currents in the water, had managed to reach the shore without assistance.

They were medically assessed and finding them to not be injured they required no further assistance.

On Friday, 23 August, at 13h26, NSRI Hout Bay rescue crew and NSRI Hout Bay coast watchers were alerted to get visuals and to monitor a group of paddlers who were on sea kayaks and appearing to be struggling against the wind in the surf below Chapmans Peak Drive.

The sea fisheries vessel Ruth First, that was in the area at the time, went to investigate and the group of paddlers were taken onboard Ruth First and their sea kayaks were recovered, and they were brought safely into Hout Bay harbour without incident aboard Ruth First and no further assistance was required.

BLOUBERGSTRAND:
On Friday, 23 August, NSRI Melkbosstrand duty crew were activated following reports of a group of people appearing to be trapped on Kids Rock, Bloubergstrand.

A West Coast coast watchers group was alerted to get visuals while NSRI rescue swimmers and Big Bay Blouberg lifeguards were activated.

First responders, observing towards Kids Rock from various vantage points, could not locate anyone appearing to be on Kids Rock or in any distress in the rising tide and concerns were raised when it was then suspected that they may have tried to swim across to the mainland.

As a precaution, lifeguards from Big Bay Blouberg Lifesaving, launched a rescue craft while NSRI Melkbosstrand prepared to launch an NSRI rescue craft.

While responding to the scene one of the first responders found a group of people on mainland who confirmed that they had just been on Kids Rock but that they had waded through waist deep water to reach mainland and they required no assistance.

All rescue resources were stood down.

NSRI are appealing to the public to be aware that rocky outcrops along the coastline, like the rocky outcrop at Kids Rock, Bloubergstrand, are often cut off from mainland at high tide – especially during a Spring high tide – and caution is always advised.

SIMONSTOWN:
Simon McDonnel, NSRI Simonstown station commander, said:

On Friday, 16 August, at 19h22, NSRI Simonstown duty crew were activated to assist a 20 foot ski-boat, that was on her maiden voyage, with 3 people onboard, and their boat suffered motor mechanical failure in. the vicinity of Seal Island, False Bay, offshore of Sonwabi Beach, and they raised the alarm requesting assistance.

The NSRI Simonstown rescue craft Donna Nicholas and Jack & Irene were launched.

NSRI Strandfontein were placed on alert.

On arrival on the scene NSRI established a towline and the casualty vessel was towed to the False Bay Yacht Club slipway at Simonstown harbour where the casualty boat was recovered without incident and no further assistance was required.

Earlier, on Saturday, 17 August, NSRI crew arriving for duty at our NSRI Simonstown station 10 rescue base found a juvenile seal appearing to be injured on the boat ramp.

Our NSRI crew secured the seal, housing the seal in one of our bathrooms, and Hout Bay seal rescue was alerted.

Hout Bay seal rescue collected the seal and later informed NSRI that the seal was only a bit weak and dehydrated and they would rehabilitate the seal for a week or two before releasing the seal back to nature.