Good Samaritans Commended for Assisting Drowning Victim at Wilderness Beach

Jonathan Britton, NSRI Wilderness station commander, said: At 11h09, Sunday, 12 October, while conducting routine training exercises, NSRI Wilderness duty crew were activated following eyewitness reports of a man reportedly in the water in distress at Flat Rock, Wilderness Main Beach.

Our NSRI rescue vehicle, with NSRI rescue swimmers, an NSRI quad bike, and WC Government Health EMS rescue squad and ambulance, responded while our NSRI duty crew prepared rescue craft to be launched.

While responding to the scene eyewitnesses confirmed that the man was out of the water and on the rocks at Flat Rock.

On arrival on the scene, we found bystanders, Good Samaritans, providing first aid to the man who was in a serious condition suffering non-fatal drowning symptoms.

NSRI medics and an EMS rescue paramedic stabilised the man, at Flat Rock, before he was transported to our NSRI Wilderness station 23 rescue base, in our NSRI rescue vehicle, in the care of the EMS paramedic, and he was transported to hospital by EMS ambulance in a serious but stable condition.

The 43 year old male, from Pretoria, remains in hospital in the care of doctors and nurses. He is expected to make a full recovery.

It remains unclear if he fell off rocks, or if he was swept off rocks by waves, when the alarm was raised by eyewitnesses, but then waves had swept him back onto Flat Rock, where bystanders, Good Samaritans, moved him out of danger and initiated first aid.

Gerrie Volschenk, from Johannesburg, described hearing a commotion when he saw a man struggling in the water. Gerrie went to investigate, along with locals, from Victoria Bay, Steven Hurt and Gerraine Rozenkrantz and 2 fishermen.

They saw the man in the water struggling, before a wave picked him up and landed him back on Flat Rock.

They waded through water to go to his aid where Gerrie , assisted by a fisherman, was able to move the man away from waves to a safer spot at Flat Rock, and together with Steven, Gerraine and other bystanders, including the 2 fishermen, who while angling from rocks when they went to assist, they initiated first aid to the man while raising the alarm.

Family have expressed deep appreciation to the Good Samaritans and the community who assisted and who are assisting. They have respectfully requested privacy at this time.

The Good Samaritans are commended for their assistance that contributed to saving the man's life.