A 17-year-old teenager visiting Wilderness to participate in a yacht regatta has drowned. On Saturday, shortly after noon, the NSRI Wilderness duty crew, the SA Police Services, WC Government Health EMS and Eden 911 ambulance services responded to a call following reports of a male teenager missing in Island Lake.
“On our arrival on the scene we found bystander CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) was in progress on 17-year-old Colin Prins, from Mossel Bay, and NSRI medics and paramedics, assisted by GLYC (George Lakes Yacht Club) members and assisted by bystanders, continued with CPR but sadly after extensive efforts to resuscitate the teenager were exhausted he was declared deceased,” NSRI said in a statement.
The race had to be postponed due to strong winds, so Prins and some other members of the regatta went for a swim in the lake while waiting to hear if the race would resume.
Prins was a member of Mossel Bay Yacht and Boat Club and appeared to get into difficulty while swimming. Rescue services were called after he disappeared under water and didn’t resurface.
Safety boats were immediately deployed and swimmers that were there at the time joined the search.
According to the NSRI report, a swimmer who assisted in a water search is believed to be a former Navy diver. He located and recovered the teenager from underwater, who was then rushed to shore aboard one of the GLYC safety boats where CPR was commenced.
Rescue services conveyed their condolences to family, friends and the MBYBC team mates.
Police have opened an inquest docket.
