Boat Capsize and Rip Current Rescues at Cape Vidal and St Lucia

At 08h15 on Monday, 5 January, NSRI St Lucia Station Commander, Melinda Snyman, received an emergency call from a family member of four men, reporting that she was witnessing the four men capsized on their boat in the surf zone at Cape Vidal Beach.

Jan Hoffman, NSRI St Lucia Deputy Station Commander, said:

The alarm was raised, and the NSRI St Lucia duty crew responded to the rescue base, where the NSRI rescue vehicle towing the NSRI rescue craft JetRIB was dispatched.

The South African Police Service was alerted.

On arrival at the scene, all four men and the casualty boat were found safely ashore.

The four men were medically treated for injuries, and two men were transported to the hospital by private transport for further medical care.

Local anglers assisted in recovering the casualty boat onto her trailer, and no further assistance was required.

At 12h45, iSimangaliso lifeguards reported a drowning in progress at Jabula Beach.

Lifeguards entered the water, armed with an NSRI pink rescue buoy, to assist an adult man and a male child caught in rip currents.

NSRI St Lucia duty crew dispatched the NSRI rescue vehicle towing the NSRI St Lucia rescue craft JetRIB to the scene.

Police Search and Rescue, who were in the area at the time conducting ongoing search efforts for the missing man from the earlier incident on 2 January, also responded to Jabula Beach.

KwaZulu-Natal Government Health EMS were activated.

On arrival at the scene, two casualties — an 8-year-old male and his uncle, both locals — were found safely ashore after being rescued by iSimangaliso lifeguards using the pink rescue buoy.

The uncle was not injured; however, the 8-year-old child was suffering non-fatal drowning symptoms.

NSRI medics and Police Search and Rescue paramedics administered medical treatment to the child, who was stabilised on the beach before being transported to hospital by EMS ambulance.

The child is expected to make a full recovery.

iSimangaliso lifeguards are commended for their swift response and for utilising the NSRI pink rescue buoy. The swift response and assistance of Police Search and Rescue, NSRI St Lucia, and EMS are also commended.