A 48-year-old man from Belgium is expected to be discharged from hospital today after a non-fatal drowning incident at a remote beach between Brenton-on-Sea and Buffalo Bay on Monday afternoon. The man, on a cycling holiday with his family, is believed to have been caught in rip currents while swimming.
Jerome Simonis, NSRI Knysna station commander, said:
“At 16h28 on Monday 19 October, NSRI Knysna duty crew were activated following reports from Knysna Fire and Rescue Service control of a drowning in progress at a remote beach between Brenton-on-Sea and Buffalo Bay.
“Our duty crew responded to our rescue base, and we launched our rescue craft Katharine and JayTee IV.
“NSRI rescue swimmers, the South African Police Service Water Policing and Diving Service, Western Cape Government Health EMS, Knysna Fire and Rescue Service, ER24 ambulance service and a local medic from the Brenton-on-Sea Ratepayers Association responded.
“On arrival, our rescue craft deployed rescue swimmers into the surf zone. They swam ashore and found the man on the beach suffering non-fatal drowning symptoms, and began medical treatment.
“An NSRI Knysna crewman used his private vehicle to transport additional rescue crew and paramedics about 5 km from Buffalo Bay to the barely accessible beach.
“Sea conditions were not favourable for bringing the man out to our rescue craft, which stood by beyond the backline.
“Once medically stabilised, the man was transported to the Buffalo Bay parking area, where ER24 paramedics took him to hospital in a stable condition.
“It appears that the man, his wife and their two sons had stopped for a swim while out cycling when he may have been caught in rip currents. His wife raised the alarm, and he managed to self-rescue to the beach, where our crews met him and provided medical care.
“He is expected to make a full recovery and to be discharged from hospital today, and the family plans to continue their holiday.
“We commend everyone involved for their swift response to this emergency at such a remote location.”
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