Carry standard safety gear: A properly fitting life-jacket, fastened and worn when on water on your boat. A referee Whistle. Red Distress flares. VHF radio. waterproof torches. A cellphone in a water tight sleeve fully charged with sea rescue emergency numbers programmed into the phone.
Download the NSRI RSA SafeTrx free phone app onto the phone and use the app to plot your course, launch and return times. Inform a responsible person of your departure time, your intended route and your return time. Stick to your plans and check in with the responsible person on your safe return.
Wear a kill-switch.
Check weather conditions and prepare adequately for the trip with safety top of mind
KLEINMOND:
Deon Langenhoven, NSRI Hermanus station commander, said:
At 09h18, Sunday, 24th December, NSRI Hermanus duty crew were activated following reports of a drowning in progress at Kleinmond.
Our sea rescue vehicle and NSRI rescue swimmers, who were in the area at the time, responded.
The SA Police Services, WC Government Health EMS, Overberg Fire and Rescue Services rescue divers and EMR ambulance services responded.
On our rescue swimmers arriving in the area a 30 year old local man who appeared to have fallen off rocks or he was swept off rocks by waves was found in the surf about 10 meters from the rocks.
Bystanders and the owners of a local restaurant were also on the scene and a rubber-duck with a Benoni family onboard (skippered by a J.R.Botha, from Benoni) were nearby and the bystanders gestured and screamed to the family on the rubber-duck and they came closer to see what the commotion was about and finding the man in the water they rescued the man from the water and they brought him to the Kleinmond harbour where they were met by the NSRI and emergency services who were at that time arriving on the scene.
The casualty has been treated by EMS paramedics for multiple fractures, rib fractures, a collapsed lung, suspected spinal injuries and hypothermia and he has been transported to hospital by EMS ambulance in a serious but stable condition.
The Benoni family are commended for the rescue of the man.
GORDONS BAY:
Alan Meiklejohn, NSRI Gordons Bay station commander, said:
At 09h31, Sunday, 24th December, NSRI Gordons Bay duty crew were activated following reports of a paddler appearing to be in difficulty off-shore of the old jetty in Strand and about 300 meters off-shore.
While our duty crew prepped our sea rescue craft to respond our NSRI rescue swimmers responded directly to the scene where a 24 year old male, believed to be a South African Rugby Union sevens player, was found ashore and his sea kayak washed ashore a short while later.
It appears that the man capsized on his sea-kayak and was able to swim to shore.
He was not injured and no further assistance was required.
The eye-witness is commended for calling NSRI without delay even though the eye-witness was unsure if the casualty was in any difficulty.
JEFFREYS BAY:
Ernie Schmidt, NSRI Jeffreys Bay deputy station commander, said:
At 10h33, Sunday, 24th December, while our NSRI crew conducted a visibility patrol along the coastline we noticed red distress flares being shot off by two people on a jet-ski about 1.5 nautical miles off-shore of Paradise Beach.
Our sea rescue craft Eddie Beaumont responded to the scene where we found a father and son, from Gauteng, on a jet-ski that suffered motor mechanical failure.
They were taken aboard our sea rescue craft and their jet-ski was towed ashore and once safely ashore no further assistance was required.
PORT ALFRED:
Stephen Slade, NSRI Port Alfred deputy station commander, said:
At 10h39, Sunday, 24th December, NSRI Port Alfred were activated following reports of a boat capsized at Boknes Strand.
Resources were mobilised to respond to the scene.
Prior to arriving on the scene reports confirmed that crew of a capsized boat were safe ashore and the boat had washed ashore and assistance was no longer required.
