A German ex-police officer, Bjoern von Bismarck (49), living in Wilderness is being hailed a hero after he jumped into the sea and rescued a man from drowning. Not surprisingly, this is not the first time he has saved someone from drowning.
On Thursday, February 11 the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) responded to an emergency call out between Wilderness and Leentjiesklip, at The Steps.
While on the way to the scene, they received a call from a woman saying her husband had rescued the man after jumping into the ocean with a bodyboard, and that they were safely on the beach.
“The casualty had been swimming when he was caught in strong rip currents and he was swept out to sea before being rescued by a good samaritan,” said Johan Scholtz, NSRI Wilderness deputy station commander.
“The casualty was assessed by paramedics and he was treated for exhaustion and for non-fatal drowning symptoms but he was otherwise not injured and following some medical treatment he was released requiring no further assistance.”
Von Bismarck and his wife Julie are German citizens from Lubeck who own a house in Wilderness. He explained that when he saw what was happening he grabbed his bodyboard and headed into the surf. He helped the man onto his bodyboard and started swimming but had to keep putting the exhausted man back onto the board as he was too tired to hold on.
This is not the first time Bismarck has saved a man from drowning either. He told the NSRI that in February 2020, and in March 2020, he assisted some local surfers to rescue an Australian man at the same beach.
Picture: NSRI
Also read: How to ensure your child’s safety at the beach
