In the aftermath of heavy storms across the province, it’s been a busy week for the NSRI with multiple incidents reported since the weekend.
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Among others, three teenage girls were saved by a good Samaritan who was surfing in Melkbosstrand.
The first instance saw the NSRI Gordon’s Bay duty crew called into action after a man on an SUP waving needed assistance after being blown out to sea off-shore of Whale Point.
The rescue craft JetRib Helga reached the man, and he was rescued and brought safely to shore with his SUP.
He and a friend had launched earlier at Bikini Beach, where one man had been swept away by strong wind gusts.
An NSRI crewman hiking with his daughter in the mountains above Gordon’s Bay noticed the two men appearing to be in difficulty.
One man could be seen making headway and one man appeared to be in difficulty, and they had raised the alarm.
Later, shortly after 5pm, NSRI Gordon’s Bay was again activated following reports of at least four swimmers in difficulty 1km off-shore between Gordon’s Bay Harbour and Harbour Island.
On investigation, it was found that they were simply swimming and needed no assistance.
Meanwhile, at 2:15pm on Wednesday, NSRI Oyster Bay and NSRI Storms River joined SA National Park rangers responding to the Waterfall Trail, near the waterfall, at the Storms River, Tsitsikamma National Park, where a male Israeli tourist, who was with his wife, had sustained an injury during a hike.
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On reaching the couple, medical treatment was initiated for the man, who was in a stable condition but hampered from walking.
Because of a rising spring tide and his injury, it was deemed not safe to try to get him back to the Tsitsikamma parking area along the footpath.
EC Government Health EMS and WC Government Health EMS were alerted, and an EMS/AMS Skymed rescue helicopter was authorised to respond from Oudtshoorn by Metro EMS Control.
On the rescue helicopter’s arrival on the scene, the man was airlifted by Skymed to the car park while SANPark rangers and NSRI crew walked the wife to the car park.
They then went by own transport to a hospital in Plettenberg Bay for further treatment where the man is expected to make a full recovery.
Early on Wednesday evening, NSRI Melkbosstrand duty crew were activated following reports of five teenagers having difficulty in the surf line at Melkbosstrand Beach after strong winds caused them to appear to be unable to get back onto two SUPs (stand-up paddle boards) after being blown off their SUPs despite relatively calm sea conditions.
NSRI rescue swimmers responded to the scene, where it was found that two girls were still in the surf, beyond the breakers.
An additional three girls had been rescued by local Samaritan surfer Patrick Loram, assisted by another surfer.
Patrick had been surfing on a longboard when he noticed the five teenagers being blown off their SUPs, appearing unable to get back onto the boards, caught in rip currents, and waving a paddle board in the air, appealing for help.
Patrick went to their assistance, initially getting two of the girls onto his board while shouting instructions to two of the girls to try to swim to their SUP and shouting to one girl to try to swim towards rocks.
Patrick brought those two girls safely to shore on his longboard, and he then relaunched into the surf, where he reached one girl and brought her safely to the beach.
One girl showed signs of hypothermia, and Patrick sent her to his house to take a warm shower to warm up.
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At that stage, an NSRI rescue swimmer had entered the water and he reached the remaining two girls. With the assistance of an NSRI pink rescue buoy, the NSRI rescue swimmer brought them safely to shore.
Patrick had also then again launched, armed with an NSRI pink rescue buoy, to go back out into the surf to assist, but by that stage, the remaining two girls and the NSRI rescue swimmer were near shore, where the NSRI rescue swimmer, Patrick and additional NSRI crew assisted those two girls safely onto the beach from the shallow surf.
After one girl was re-warmed at Patrick’s house, all five teenagers were found to be in no further need of assistance.
NSRI commends Patrick Loram for his rescue assistance that may well have contributed to lives being saved. NSRI believes that a second surfer, whose identity is unknown, may have also assisted during the incident.
Also on Wednesday, NSRI Hermanus dispatched rescue swimmers following a request for assistance by the Overstrand Municipality to assist municipal engineers needing to get across a flooded river to reach and repair a water pipe at a dam.
At Camphill Bridge, a crossing could not be achieved and a second site was investigated at Volmoed. There, a crossing was achieved where NSRI swift water rescue swimmers assisted in setting up a rope system using a small boat that the municipality provided for their engineers.
After a safety system with ropes and the canoe were set up and used safely, the engineers crossed the river and went about repairs to water pipes, and NSRI were released to return to base.
In another incident on Wednesday, NSRI Witsand received reports of a suspected boat capsized at the anchorage area at the Breede River Mouth with persons suspected to be in the water.
On arrival at the scene, only debris was found, suspected to be of a jetty structure broken up by floods and drifting downriver together with natural debris and flotsam, including plastic chairs and tree stumps, being swept down the river.
Earlier in the day, NSRI Witsand had been alerted to a boat with no one onboard drifting down the Breede River, and no action was taken to avoid damage to NSRI rescue craft.
After the JetRib rescue craft was launched, on closer inspection, it was deemed not necessary to intervene as no one was seen to be in any difficulty, and the NSRI JetRib returned to shore.
There remain no reports of anyone missing or overdue.
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Picture: NSRI