Several lives were saved on Sunday in cooperation with bystander Good Samaritans, pink rescue buoys and a lady using a bodyboard.
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Three people were also rescued by Good Samaritan efforts.
Shortly before, on Saturday, NSRI Melkbosstrand and NSRI Table Bay duty crews were activated following reports of a drowning in progress at Milnerton Lagoon Beach.
Milnerton Surf Lifesaving lifeguards, CoCT (City of Cape Town) lifeguards, NSRI Table Bay and NSRI Melkbosstrand rescue swimmers, CoCT Law Enforcement, ER24 ambulance services, WC Government Health EMS, the SA Police Services and Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services responded.
When lifeguards first arrived on the beach, they were able to confirm that friends had pulled a 23-year-old Ravensmead man from the water.
Lifeguards initiated medical care and they were joined by fire services and EMS paramedics.
The man was transported to hospital by ER24 ambulance in a serious but stable condition, where he is expected to make a full recovery.
The swift response by lifeguards is commended.
On Sunday, NSRI Bakoven dispatched rescue swimmers and launched the NSRI Bakoven rescue craft Gemini Legend to respond to Saunders Beach, Bantry Bay, where a body boarder, reported to be being swept out to sea, was being assisted by a bystander who we believe swam out to assist.
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On arrival at the scene, they had made it safely out of the water without assistance and they required no further care.
Then, NSRI Table Bay, NSRI Bakoven, and the CoCT water rescue network were activated to respond to reports of a drowning in progress at Saunders Beach, Bantry Bay.
Andrew Speedy, a bystander and former member of NSRI Melkbosstrand, launched into the surf armed with the NSRI pink rescue buoy that is stationed at the beach.
Eyewitnesses have confirmed to NSRI that the casualty, a local man, age 49, was holding onto the pink buoy while Andrew assisted him to rocks along the shore, where bystanders helped him to recover the man.
He was attended to on the scene by EMS paramedics and following medical treatment, he required no further assistance.
Meanwhile, Paul van Jaarsveld, NSRI Jeffreys Bay station commander, said:
NSRI Jeffreys Bay duty crew were activated at 2:30pm on Sunday following reports of a drowning in progress at Kabeljous Beach, Jeffreys Bay.
While responding to the scene, it became clearer that at least three people were caught in rip currents, and public members were in the water assisting.
Three NSRI pink rescue buoys, stationed along that beach vicinity, had been deployed.
The Jeffreys Bay family – a mom, dad and their teenaged children – were visiting the beach with the mom’s sister, who had just arrived from Pretoria.
Knowing that lifeguards are not at that beach, but seeing many people in the water there, the mom, dad, the son and the aunt waded into waist-deep water before the son cautioned them that they were in danger.
Their 13-year-old daughter remained on the beach, not aware of the danger they were about to face.
Before they knew it, currents had separated them, and they suddenly found themselves out of their depth and caught in unforgiving rip currents.
The son retreated to the beach and he sought help, including raising the attention of his sister, who also ran for help.
Bystanders by that stage were throwing all three pink buoys stationed at the beach towards the three casualties.
Janine Birney, of Jeffreys Bay, raised the alarm by calling NSRI after a 13-year-old local girl ran up to her and her friend Natalie Rhodes, frantically drawing their attention to her mom, dad and aunt (it appears that the aunt is from Pretoria and had only been in Jeffreys Bay visiting the family since Saturday) in difficulty in the water. The girl frantically appealed to Janine and Natalie for help.
Natalie grabbed her body board and launched into the water to go assist (Natalie grew up in Johannesburg and at school in Potchefstroom, she had achieved swimming provincial colours). So she did not hesitate to go to help while Janine called NSRI.
A bystander calmed the boy and prevented him from re-entering the water, realising that he was exhausted.
Bystanders who saw Duvan van Breda (28) of Duvan Fishing Charters, on the beach at his wind shield with French fishing tourists on a shoreline angling fishing charter, came running up to him shouting for help.
Duvan and his videographer, Gustav Schlechter, reacted swiftly, and they both launched into the water to assist.
Duvan told NSRI he witnessed three people in the water: a dad and his wife, from Jeffreys Bay, and a family member, who we believe is from Pretoria; she was in her jeans, and all three of them were in grave distress and in grave danger and obviously caught in strong rip currents.
Duvan noticed three NSRI pink buoys floating in the vicinity.
Duvan admits that lifeguard training he undertook when he was at school kicked in and his videographer, Gustav, happens to be a South African champion swimmer.
They did not hesitate to go in and help.
Duvan reached a female (now believed to be the aunt of the 13-year-old – she was holding onto an NSRI pink rescue buoy that was aiding her to stay afloat).
Duvan was able to coral her towards a shallower sand bank, where she was able to stand. There, he managed to calm her. Then he managed to get her to shore safely.
Gustav had reached the female (the mom of the 13-year-old).
Duvan had returned to the surf and he reached the dad and encouraged him to tread water while holding onto the body board, but he was getting very tired, said Duvan.
Bystander Natalie Rhodes arrived with her body board at the dad and Duvan. The dad used her body board to stay afloat.
Natalie has told NSRI that when she reached the man, he held onto the body board and she climbed off and held onto one side of the board. They were both using the board to stay afloat.
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During this time, Gustav was helping the female (the mom) towards the shore but the rip currents hampered their efforts. Eventually Gustav reached the shore with the lady (the Aunt) and she was taken into the care of bystanders.
Gustav returned to the water and arrived at Duvan with the girl, the bystander and the dad.
An unidentified person, armed with a pink rescue buoy, arrived at them, which Natalie held onto, giving the dad exclusive use of the body board for floatation.
The unidentified person assisted in encouraging them to swim away from the rip current.
Together, they floated out there for about 20 minutes, all the while with Duvan and the unidentified man gently coaxing them to try to escape the rip current, and they all eventually managed to reach the shore.
By the time they were all on the beach, NSRI and rescue services were arriving on the beach.
The mom and her husband were transported to the hospital in serious but stable conditions by Gardmed ambulance, where they are recovering under the care of doctors and nurses.
Everyone involved, including all bystanders, is commended for saving three lives.
The pink rescue buoys and the body board, used for floatation, have been hailed as essential in this rescue by the Good Samaritans and the casualties.
In yet another incident on Sunday, NSRI Melkbosstrand, NSRI Table Bay, CoCT Law Enforcement and lifeguards responded to Sunset Beach following reports of two males in difficulty in the surf.
According to eyewitness reports, one male exited the water without assistance and another male was rescued from the water by a bystander who used the NSRI pink rescue buoy, stationed at the beach, to successfully rescue the male.
They were not injured.
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Picture: Andrew Ingram / NSRI