Our thoughts and care are with the lady recovering in hospital from serious injuries and with the couples families.
A family, Good Samaritans, on a private boat, that rescued the lady from the water, the crew on a second boat that brought the man to shore, NSRI Stilbaai, a local doctor, and the greater community of Stilbaai, have been commended for their efforts assisting at a boating accident on the Goukou River.
Stéfan Grové, NSRI Stilbaai station commander, said:
At 14h21, Friday, 19 December, NSRI Stilbaai duty crew were activated following reports of a boating accident up river on the Goukou River, Stilbaai, Western Cape.
NSRI Stilbaai crew responded to the Stilbaai jetty where a private boat had brought an injured lady to the shore.
It appears that a couple, from Centurion, a male and a female, may have been ejected from their boat while their boat was underway on the Goukou River. The casualty boat motors were still engaged reportedly causing the boat to collide with the female in the water, causing serious injuries.
The female was rescued from the water by a family on a private boat and she was brought to the Stilbaai Jetty where they were met by NSRI medics and crew, a local doctor, and by local Stilbaai community members, who together provided medical treatment to the female who was in a critical condition.
The man was brought to the jetty on a second private boat that assisted on the scene.
WC Government Health EMS responded.
The lady, age 27, was transported to hospital by EMS ambulance and then later transferred to a private hospital where she remains in a serious but stable condition in the care of doctors and nurses.
Our thoughts are with the families involved in this difficult time.
The casualty boat ran ashore and was later recovered.
NSRI commends the family on the private boat that rescued the lady, the second private boat - that brought the man to the jetty - and we commend the swift actions of the greater Stilbaai community that contributed at this incident.
Multiple Capsizes in Port Alfred: Four Injured at Kowie River Mouth, Two Rescued Off East Beach
Read More
The NSRI is celebrating the women who serve across its rescue stations, swimming pools, classrooms and beaches, ahead of Women's Day on 9 August. From volunteer sea rescue crew to survival swimming instructors, shore controllers and Pink Rescue Buoy custodians ...
NSRI Lamberts Bay and NSRI Strandfontein responded together on Saturday, 1 August 2026, after a 13-year-old swimmer got into difficulty off Strandfontein, West Coast. An adult bystander and three NSRI lifeguards who swam out to assist were themselves caught in ...
At 08h23 on Sunday, 26 July, NSRI Port Alfred duty crew were activated after a boat capsized in the Kowie River Mouth, Port Alfred, with two people in the water. One man tragically lost his life, while his grandson was ...