It has been another busy weekend for crews attached to the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) after they have responded to several incidents around the Mother City.
According to the NSRI, Bakoven, Table Bay and Hout Bay duty crews were activated following eye-witness reports of a drowning in progress at Bantry Bay. NSRI Bakoven deputy station commander David Rosenberg said three Sea Rescue craft from NSRI Bakoven and NSRI Hout Bay responded, as well as NSRI Table Bay rescue swimmers, City of Cape Town (COCT) lifeguards and several other emergency services.
“It appears that a 35-year-old male, believed to be a local, may have fallen into the water at Bantry Bay and he had then been swept into the middle of the Bay.
“A CoCT lifeguard and 2 male bystanders launched into the water to assist. One of the bystander had taken the NSRI pink rescue buoy, that is stationed at Saunders Rocks, and together with the lifeguard, the surfer and the bystander, with the NSRI pink rescue buoy, were able to rescue the casualty to rocks along the shoreline and they hade pulled the casualty out of the water.
Rosenberg said NSRI rescue swimmers were deployed into the water from the sea rescue craft and they transported the NSRI small floating craft to shore carrying a Stokes basket stretcher which was used to carry the casualty from the rocks to the ambulance.
“The man was transported to hospital by Netcare 911 ambulance in a stable condition. The swift response by all emergency services is commended and the lifeguard and the 2 bystanders who rescued the man are commended for their efforts in saving the life of the man,” Rosenberg explained.
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The NSRI rescue craft Rescue 16 Alpha was also launched into the surf when five casualties were rescued and brought to safety in Strandfontein. Three females and two males were medically assessed.
In another incident, Strand lifeguards attended at the scene where an adult female was treated for non-fatal drowning symptoms. According to Alan Meiklejohn, NSRI Gordon’s Bay station commander, life support was administered by paramedics and the patient was transported to hospital in a critical condition by an ER24 ambulance.
Meiklejohn further mentioned that NSRI Gordon’s Bay duty crew launched the sea rescue craft Spirit of surfski and assisted a 5-meter craft with engine failure off-shore of Harbour Island with five local men on board.
“We requested the skipper to drop anchor and our arrival on the scene we took them under tow and towed them into Harbour Island without incident. We assisted them to recover their craft onto her trailer and no further assistance was required,” Meiklejohn said.
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