The National Sea Rescue Institute’s (NSRI) Simon’s Town duty crew were kept busy this weekend with multiple incidents recorded in False Bay waters, including eyewitness reports of a wave washing a child into the harbour at Kalk Bay harbour on Saturday.
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According to NSRI Simon’s Town operations controller Darren Zimmerman, it was reported that a wave that unexpectedly breached over the outer harbour pier had swept a local male toddler in a stroller, along with his father, into the water, while also sweeping some of the other pier pedestrians off their feet.
Two local men, one who was with his family on the pier and another who works at the harbour, leapt into the water to assist.
‘The toddler, who had earlier just been unstrapped in the stroller, was kept afloat by his dad while the Good Samaritans reached them, said Zimmerman. ‘The toddler was rescued from the water by the Good Samaritans who then assisted the dad from the water.’
Zimmerman added that the stroller, as well as some other belongings, were recovered from the water by a third Good Samaritan, who also works at the harbour, who had also jumped in to assist.
By that stage, NSRI received eyewitness reports that ‘all were safe and out of the water but medical assistance was required’.
Upon arrival, CMR paramedics initiated medical treatment to the toddler and his father before transporting them for further care and observation for non-fatal drowning symptoms.
While both were in stable condition, the father remains in hospital for observation.
In an unrelated incident on the same day, NSRI Simon’s Town duty crew were alerted by a member of a local surf-ski community reporting that he and his brother were on the scene of a fellow surf-ski who was in difficulty approximately 300 metres north of Roman Rock Lighthouse.
This occurred while NSRI Simon’s Town duty crew was responding to an incident at Muizenberg, to assist NSRI station 16 Strandfontein, where a sea kayak had washed onto rocks at Muizenberg’s Bailey’s Cottage, and while the Simon’s Town duty was investigating reports of a Hobie-Cat suspected to be in difficulty, or capsized, off-shore of Glencairn.
According to NSRI Simon’s Town duty crew spokesperson Andrew de Kock, the surf-ski that an American man was paddling on had reportedly collided with a reef at Roman Rock Lighthouse, Castor Rock, causing the surf-ski to break in two and forcing the paddler into the water.
‘Fellow paddlers had rafter their two surf-skis together and were adrift with the casualty man holding onto the rafter surf-skis and they were drifting towards the cardinal marker buoy, off-shore of Simon’s Town,’ said de Kock.
The duty crew launched NSRI rescue craft Donna Nicholas.
Upon arrival, NSRI found one paddler on the scene assisting the casualty who was holding onto the surf-ski. The second paddler had continued paddling as the NSRI rescue craft was arriving.
NSRI rescue swimmers assisted the casualty paddler onto the rescue craft and recovered the two parts of the surf-ski which had drifted some 50-metres away.
‘The 52-year-old man, from Charleston, USA, was rewarmed from mild hypothermia and he required no further medical care,’ said de Kock.
‘The Hobie-Cat that we had earlier been alerted to had been righted by her crew and they were continuing under sail, requiring no assistance,’ he added.
‘The paddler at Muizenberg’s Bailey’s Cottage was safe ashore, requiring no further assistance.’
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Picture: Nigel Riley / Facebook
