SafeTRX app saves another life

A relaxing paddle turned into a nerve-wracking experience for a local kayaker. Luckily, he had downloaded the SafeTRX app.

Chris van den Heever paddles his surf ski at Strand each week, and an outing on 19 September started out like any other for the experienced 60-year-old paddler. “I often paddle by myself, but always with a Personal Flotation Device (PFD), cellphone with the SafeTRX app open on my phone in a plastic cellphone pouch, as well as an ankle leash,” Chris says. 

The free SafeTRX app enables users to plot their intended course before paddling or sailing, stores essential emergency numbers that can be used by NSRI if you fail to return from a trip, and gives users the ability to call in an emergency by simply pushing a button. It also allows the NSRI to see your exact position at all times during your trip.

Click here to download the SafeTRX app

“I set out on a paddle from Strand towards Gordons Bay on my Fenn Swordfish, with a very light south-westerly wind blowing,” Chris recalls. “The surf at launch was larger and more challenging than normal, so once in, I took a deeper line towards Gordons Bay. The swells at the backline opposite the Strand Pavillion, the so-called Poortjie area, were bigger than normal, but I thought I was deep enough.”

Suddenly, an unusually large wave formed on Chris' seaward side. “I turned my ski ninety degrees to face the wave, but I realised it was going to break in front of me. The wave caused my ankle leash to snap and the ski was gone. I later saw it had broken into two pieces. I  realised I was too far from the coast to attempt to swim to shore, especially given the temperature of the water.”

Chris immediately activated his SafeTRX app. “I could see that the NSRI was trying to phone me, but I had trouble swiping the phone through the plastic pouch. I eventually managed to answer the call and while the voice on the other side was very faint, I described my position and the state of affairs. The caller identified me correctly as Chris,” Chris says.

Chris managed to swim to one half of his surf ski, while also holding his paddle, which he was miraculously able to hang onto when the wave hit. He could see more incoming calls from the NSRI but couldn’t answer them through the plastic pouch. In desperation, he took the phone out of the pouch and called the NSRI back. He was told that help was already on the way. 

“I spent about 60 minutes in the water and the cold was setting in quickly. On arrival at the scene, the two-man crew from Station 9, Gordon’s Bay immediately spotted me,” Chris says. 

Chris escaped the ordeal with only a few stitches required for a cut on his hand. He is immensely grateful for his rescue, which was in no small part due to the fact that he had downloaded the SafeTRX app. 

“I would have drowned were it not for the rescue performed by the NSRI. I want to express my sincere gratitude to the organisation and the critical role they play for all occupants of sea craft,” he says.

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