On Monday, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) in St Francis Bay and Kouga lifeguards were alerted to a surfer reportedly requiring medical assistance at Seal Point, Cape St Francis.
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The NSRI launched its rescue craft while NSRI medics and rescue swimmers were dispatched to the scene, accompanied by Kouga Municipal lifeguards, EC Government Health EMS, REMS (Rapid Emergency Medical Services), Relay ambulance services, local security and CCP (Community Crime Prevention) companies and the SA Police Services.
On arrival at the scene, rescue teams found a doctor assisting Kouga lifeguards and public members, who were conducting cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) efforts on a man believed to be aged 30 and from Cape Town.
After extensive efforts to resuscitate the male were exhausted, he was declared deceased.
The body was taken into the care of government forensic pathology services, and SAPS has opened an inquest docket.
The family of the deceased man was cared for on the scene by a trauma counsellor.
NSRI St Francis Bay Station Commander Sarah Smith commended the surfers who noticed ‘the man was in peril in the water while surfing, and were able to rescue the man to the shoreline.’
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Picture: NSRI