Woman rescued with the assistance of a Good samaritan

A Good Samaritan, a student at Potchefstroom, who is from Durbanville, Cape Town, and visiting Mossel Bay with friends, fellow Potch students, has been commended for his rescue efforts that contributed to saving the life of a woman caught in rip currents offshore of Die Poort, Mossel Bay.

At 16h35, Thursday, 16th January, NSRI Mossel Bay duty crew were activated following multiple calls from bystanders, and Big Blue Restaurant, reporting a drowning in progress offshore at Die Poort, Mossel Bay.

NSRI crew and NSRI rescue swimmers, By Grace ambulance services, a WC Government Health EMS rescue squad, Mossel Bay Fire and Rescue Services and ER24 ambulance services responded.

Police WPDS (Water Policing and Diving Services) and Police SBC (Sea Borderline Control) were alerted.

A woman, age 52, from Riversdale, visiting a friend in Mossel Bay, while swimming in the vicinity at Die Poort, was caught in a strong draft currents and it appears that she missed being able to grab a hold of the safety ropes, stationed at Die Poort in the water, before being swept out to sea by rip currents and then being swept by sea currents across the shoreline towards The Point.

Eyewitnesses raced to Big Blue Restaurant pleading with staff and patrons to raise the alarm.

The alarm was raised.

A group of Potchefstroom students, on a holiday, from various parts of the Country, who were at the restaurant and overheard the commotion, immediately offered their assistance and sprang into action, running down to the shoreline, searching for the woman in distress, while also searching for anything that floats that might aid them in a rescue effort.

Not finding a floating object, one of the students, Jaco du Plessis, age 20, with no choice left - seeing the woman in dire distress in heavy sea currents - he launched into the water, swimming towards the woman while his friends kept a vigil of their location, following along the shoreline.

Jaco reached the woman as she was approaching towards the rocky shoreline, near to The Point, and he assisted her, guiding her towards the rocky shoreline, and then assisting her onto the rocks once they reached the shoreline.

By that stage NSRI rescue swimmers were arriving on the scene and they joined Jaco's friends, who were by that stage on the rocks where the 2 were coming ashore, and together they assisted the woman and Jaco to get safely up onto the rocks.

Once they were on the rocks together they assisted the woman to get to a safer area where more emergency services were arriving on the scene.

The casualty female was taken into the care of paramedics and following medical treatment at the scene she was transported to hospital in a serious but stable condition by By Grace ambulance where she was treated for non-fatal drowning symptoms, in the care of doctors and nurses, before being discharged into the care of her friend.

NSRI commend Good samaritan Jaco du Plessis for his efforts that contributed to saving the life of the woman - and his friends who helped.