SAFETY ALERT and incidents at Port Edward and Simonstown

SAFET ALERT: NSRI are appealing to the public to be cautious around the coastline where storms around the coast, along the Northern and Western Cape coastline and spreading up the East Coast, coupled with the approaching new moon Spring tide (that peaks on the 3rd of September) creating rough sea conditions will cause dangerous surf and shoreline conditions. Extreme caution is advised.

PORT EDWARD:

A Gauteng dad and daughter are recovering in hospital from non-fatal drowning symptoms after being caught in rip currents while using an inflatable tube in the surf line:

Kyle Farrell, NSRI Port Edward training coxswain, said:

At 10h38,Tuesday, 27 August, NSRI Port Edward duty crew were activated following eyewitness reports of a drowning in progress at a beach in front of Caribbean Estate, Port Edward.

NSRI Port Edward rescue swimmers, our NSRI Port Edward rescue vehicle, the SA Police Services, Police Search and Rescue, Police K9 Search and Rescue, local lifeguards and KZN Government Health EMS (KZN EMRS) responded.

On arrival on the scene NSRI rescue swimmers found a Gauteng, Benoni, dad, age 44, and his daughter, age 11, had managed to get to shore after being caught in rip currents.

It appears that on a holiday from Gauteng, the family of a dad, his sister and his 2 daughters, were at the beach where they were using a swimming pool blow up inflatable tube in the surf line when the dad and one daughter were reportedly caught in rip currents.

Trying desperately to get to shore, appearing to be holding onto handles on the inflatable tube and appearing to be swimming against the rip current, eyewitnesses described how the 2 casualties kept being dunked in the waves, losing hold the "floating device" but then regaining a hold of the device and then hanging onto the floating device before being able to get to shallow water to wade ashore.

2 staff members of Caribbean Estate, a male and a female, raised the alarm while grabbing the NSRI pink rescue buoy, that is stationed at that beach, to prepare to enter the water to go to assist.

At that stage the 2 casualties had reached shallow water, and they waded ashore and were helped onto the beach.

Both were suffering non-fatal drowning symptoms.

KZN EMRS (Emergency Medical and Rescue Services - KZN Government Health EMS) paramedics treated the patients on the scene before transporting them to hospital by EMS ambulance in stable conditions and they are expected to fully recover.

The Caribbean Estate staff are commended for swiftly raising the alarm and the 2 staff members who assisted on the scene are commended.

The swift response of NSRI, Police, lifeguards and emergency medical services is commended.

SIMONSTOWN:

A surfskier has been rescued after activating an NSRI SafeRTrx emergency distress from his smart phone.

Simon McDonnel, NSRI Simonstown station commander, said:

At 10h38, Monday, 26 August, NSRI Simonstown duty crew were activated by NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) following an NSRI SafeTrx emergency distress activation from a local male surfskier off-shore of Millers Point, near to Simonstown.

NSRI Coast watchers were alerted to start scouring the coastline while a CMR (Cape Medical Response) rescue vehicle, in the vicinity of Millers Point at the time, searched along the coastline towards Simonstown.

The NSRI SafeTrx pings were lost at that stage and calls to the man's cellphone indicated the cellphone was off.

It remains unclear what caused this.

Then NSRI received a call from the man's wife indicating that he was in distress in the vicinity of Roman Rock Lighthouse.

Our NSRI Simonstown crew, arriving at our NSRI Simonstown station 10 rescue base, launched our rescue craft Donna Nicholas while the rescue craft Jack&Irene was prepared to be launched.

Sea conditions were rough with limited visibility - no signs of the man could be detected from high vantage points along the coastline by our coast watchers, CMR paramedics or NSRI crew, raising concerns for the man's safety, and with no further pings from his NSRI SafeTrx and with his phone going to voicemail.

During a search the man was found approximately 1 nautical mile South of Roman Rock Lighthouse.

NSRI rescue swimmers were deployed into the water and they swam the man to the rescue craft and he was safely recovered.

The surfski was recovered.

We believe his paddle had broken causing him to be unable to keep balance on the surfski with only one half of the paddle. He drifted holding onto the surfski when his cellphone went blank from unknown causes.

Treatment for hypothermias was commenced on the rescue craft and he was brought to our rescue base and following further rewarming treatment for hypothermia he was collected by a friend and no further assistance was required.