At 18h06 NSRI Hout Bay, the Metro Ambulance and Rescue Services, the SA Police Services and the Metro Red Cross AMS helicopter were activated following reports of a man fallen from the main view point at Chapman’s Peak Drive.

Brad Geyser, NSRI Hout Bay station commander said that on arrival on-scene it was determined that a man had allegedly fallen from the mountain and it is believed that his female partner, who was with him at the time, had attempted to go to his aid but it appears that she had gotten into difficulty herself and she became trapped on a ledge with some injuries.

Brad said that two NSRI rescue craft had searched for the man in the sea and during the search the body of the man was recovered onto an NSRI rescue craft and taken to the NSRI Hout Bay rescue base and handed into the care of the Forensic Pathology Services.

The female was rescued by a Metro Rescue team using high angle equipment and she has been treated for minor injuries.

Police have opened an inquest docket into the death of the man.

During the rescue operation a “Hout Bay Surf Rescue” crew launched their rescue rubber-duck to respond to this operation but they capsized and were rescued by the NSRI. Brad said that the NSRI rescue craft towed the capsized craft to Hout Bay harbour. Neither of the two “Hout Bay Surf Rescue” crewmen were injured.

At 23h40 NSRI Hout Bay was activated following reports from the Maritime Radio Services of a yacht run onto rocks near to “Fish on the Rocks”.

Brad Geyser said that prior to launching the NSRI Hout Bay’s rescue craft it was confirmed that the crew aboard yacht Margarite Anne had freed themselves from a rocky reef and had motored into Hout Bay unassisted.

Melkbosstrand:

At 15h23 NSRI Melkbosstrand responded to “Slabberts se Klippe”, half a kilometre from the NSRI Melkbosstrand rescue base, following reports of two men on a rubber duck firing off distress flares.

Rhine Barnes, NSRI Melkbosstrand station commander, said that on arrival on-scene the two men, Pierre van Niewenhuizen, 36, and Tinus Pretorius, 26, both from Durbanville, were found safe on the beach after a local kite-boarder had assisted to tow them ashore.

The two men had experienced engine failure on their rubber-duck approximately 500 metres off-shore and had fired the distress flares when a kite-boarder came to their assistance and assisted them ashore.

Rhine said that the NSRI duty crew loaded their boat onto an NSRI boat trailer and brought their boat to the NSRI rescue base where they required no further assistance.

Gordon’s Bay:

At 09h25 NSRI Gordon’s Bay, the SA Police Services, the Metro Ambulance and Rescue Services, Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services and the Metro Red Cross AMS helicopter responded to Pringle Bay following reports of a dinghy boat being blown out to sea in a 25 knot off-shore wind with three young men on-board.

Stuart Burgess, NSRI Gordon’s Bay deputy station commander said that the rescue helicopter arrived on-scene first and found the three men clinging onto their sinking 3 metre fibreglass dinghy. They had only a pair of oars and no life-jackets on-board.

The rescue helicopter hovered above the men, who were now already 2 nautical miles off-shore, to mark their position for the responding NSRI rescue craft that was nearing the scene but suddenly the boat they were on capsized and semi-sunk so a rescue swimmer was deployed into the water from the rescue helicopter to secure the 3 men and to ensure their safety and when the rescue craft arrived all 3 men were rescued onto the rescue craft and brought to the NSRI rescue base in Gordon’s Bay where they were reunited with their families.

All 3 men, Byron Jansen, 20, Lezaan Pietersen, 22, Akiam Abrahams, 15, all from New Tafelsig, were treated for hypothermia and released requiring no further assistance.

Stuart said that it was especially noted that during the operation the NSRI rescue vehicle, carrying two NSRI rescue swimmers, which had responded to the land side of Pringle Bay, had acted as a communications relay to the responding helicopter and NSRI rescue boat providing essential information to the responding rescue resources that played a major role in this successful rescue operation.

On 11 August 2009 at 15h38 the NSRI Hout Bay duty crew and NSRI Kommetjie duty crew were activated following a report of 33 year old Cape Town surfer, Rynard Fourie, missing in the surf during big wave surfing taking place at the popular surf spot Dungeons, near to Hout Bay, in 7 metre swells.

NSRI Hout Bay launched their rescue craft MTU Nadine Gordimer and Albie Matthews and NSRI Kommetjie launched their rescue craft Spirit of Rotary Winelands and the Metro Red Cross AMS helicopter was activated.

It was confirmed that the stand-by safety boats, which stand-by on the scene at Dungeons during big wave surfing, had initiated a search. The stand-by safety command boat Whale Song and her two fellow stand-by boats Calypso, Asis and 6 jet-ski’s, which are used to pull big wave surfers to assist them to catch waves, searched the area and found the surfer approximately half a nautical mile from where he had initially dissapeared. The local boat Lunatic, which was on the scene observing the big wave surfing, had also joined in and assisted in the search.

The surfer was found safely briefly after going missing and it appears he had dissapeared while being pulled to catch a wave but after taking a tumble the spotters had lost sight of him and he had drifted away in currents until being found.

NSRI Hout Bay’s rescue craft Albie Matthews arrived on-scene and confirmed that the surfer had been found and was safe aboard the boat Whale Song and that he was not injured and required no further assistance.

The NSRI’s remaining responding resources were stood-down to return to base and the Metro Red Cross AMS helicopter was stood-down to return to base.

It is standard procedure for the NSRI to be activated in the event of an emergency and standard protocol during this big wave surfing at Dungeons.

Bloubergstrand and Kommetjie – Bulk Carriers swept close to shore:

On Tuesday afternoon at 13h50 NSRI Table Bay and NSRI Melkbosstrand were placed on alert by the Transnet National Ports Authority after the bulk carrier Doce River dragged anchor and drifted close to shore, off Bloubergstrand, before getting her engines started and moving out to deeper waters and out of harms way.

On Monday evening NSRI Kommetjie and NSRI Hout Bay were placed on alert by the Transnet National Ports Authority after the bulk carrier Kiran was swept towards shore in approximately 8 metre swells, off Slangkop Lighthouse, following engine failure, before the salvage vessel Smit Amandla towed the bulk carrier out to sea and to the safety of deeper water.

Struisbaai – Skipper of trawler casualty evacuated:

At 15h31 on Tuesday afternoon NSRI Agulhas responded aboard their rescue craft to 2 nautical miles off-shore of Struis Baai where the skipper of the Long Line Fishing Trawler Golden Eagle had sustained head and facial injuries after a steel door reportedly slammed shut in high winds hitting the skipper on the head.

Shane Kempen, NSRI Agulhas station commander said that the skipper, Loeries Noonies, 45, was brought ashore abourd the NSRI rescue craft and transported to a local doctor for sutures to a laceration to the head, lacerations to both eye-orbits and treatment for a fractured cheek bone.

Hout Bay – Search for a suspected missing man:

At 16h11 on Tuesday afternoon NSRI Hout Bay were activated following eye-witnesses reports of a man suspected of being swept off a Crayfish Bakkie (small open boat) drifting in the bay off Hout Bay near to Fish on the Rocks.

Brad Geyser, NSRI Hout Bay station commander said that a full-scale search, including two NSRI rescue craft, the SA Police Services, the Metro Ambulance and Rescue Services, Hout Bay Surf Lifesaving and the Police Dive Unit, in 7 metre swells, revealed no sign of anyone in any difficulty. The crayfish bakkie was found adrift at sea and has washed ashore on the opposite side of the bay but the crayfish bakkie was upright (it had not capsized) and we suspect it had been swept out to sea after the Spring Tides high tide swept it from its mooring on the shoreline.

Brad said that some other eye-witnesses had claimed that they had seen the crayfish bakkie being swept out to sea with no one on-board.

Brad said that the situation continues to be monitored but no one has yet come forward to confirm that a person is missing.

Gordon’s Bay – Jetty swept away:

At 06h50 on Wednesday morning NSRI Gordon’s Bay launched both NSRI rescue craft to assist to recover a jetty swept away by big swells during the early morning Spring High Tide.

Mark Burton, NSRI Gordon’s Bay station commander, said that the jetty was recovered and will be repaired.

Brad Geyser, NSRI Hout Bay station commander said: “On the 18th March 2009 at 16h24 NSRI Hout Bay, NSRI Kommetjie and NSRI Simonstown were activated following a distress VHF radio message, intercepted by Maritime Radio Services, from the 16 metre fishing trawler Amber Rose reporting to be taking water 20 nautical miles South of Cape Point with a crew of 12 on-board in 1.5 metre swells and a 20 knot South Easterly wind.

NSRI Hout Bay launched MTU Nadine Gordimer and Albie Matthews and NSRI Simonstown launched Spirit of Safmarine III, all carrying water pumps to be taken to the trawler. NSRI Kommetjie launched Spirit of Winelands to rendezvous with NSRI Hout Bay’s rescue craft as they sailed passed Kommetjie to deliver a third water pump to be taken out to the casualty vessel.

Fishing trawlers and private boats that were in the area at the time responded to the distress call.
The private boat Free Spirit, a Simonstown craft, arrived on-scene first and transferred her water pump on-board to assist with extricating water from the casualty craft and she stood by on-scene to take crew of the casualty vessel over (if necessary) pending the arrival of the NSRI rescue craft.

Fearing that the casualty vessel may overflow with water and in case the crew needed to abandon ship the Transnet National Ports Authority placed an SA Air Force 35 Squadron Dakota fixed wing aircraft on alert to deliver and drop (at the casualty vessel) extra life-rafts if necessary. All rescue craft arrived on-scene in time to prevent the call to abandon ship!

On arrival on-scene NSRI rescuers were put aboard the trawler and the extra water pumps delivered by the NSRI were set in motion. An NSRI Engineer assessed the damage which appears to be a gaping hole in the port side behind midships. What caused the damage will form part of an investigation by the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA).

The trawler was initially able to be escorted under her own engine power towards the closest harbour, Hout Bay, but during the escort she suffered mechanical failure and the vessel was taken under tow by our rescue craft MTU Nadine Gordimer.

NSRI Kommetjie launched Spirit of Winelands again at 21h26 to respond to assist NSRI Hout Bay’s rescue craft to bring the casualty vessel to mooring in Hout Bay harbour.

The casualty vessel was able to steer to a mooring under her own power once in the shelter of Hout Bay harbour and was safely moored at 22h50.
No injuries to any of her crew were sustained.
The casualty vessel will be kept afloat during the night with the use of water pumps and the owners are arranging salvage efforts to prevent the inflow of water and to begin repairs.”

Brad Geyser, NSRI Hout Bay station commander said: “On the 2nd of March at 13h20 NSRI Hout Bay were activated to respond to rendezvous with the fishing trawler Southwest Sea Hawk, reporting their skipper, Gabriel Fernandez, 40, from Bothasig in Cape Town, bitten by a shark on-board the trawler 30 nautical miles off-shore of Hout Bay while fishing.

The Metro Ambulance and Rescue Services were activated and a Metro ambulance was dispatched to stand-by at NSRI Hout Bay’s rescue base.

It appears that a Blue shark had been caught unintentionally in the trawlers fishing long-line and the shark had been hauled aboard the trawler when the crew recovered the long-line while long-line fishing for Tunny Fish.

The skipper attempted to free the shark from the long-line in an effort to release the shark back to the sea but he was bitten, by the shark, on the right hand, causing puncture wounds to two fingers on the right hand and a 6 cm laceration (tear) to the right wrist.

The vessel immediately called for medical assistance and after setting the shark free headed in the direction of Hout Bay harbour.

NSRI hout Bay launched our rescue craft MTU Nadine Gordimer and rendezvoused with the trawler 16 nautical miles off-shore of Hout Bay.

A relief skipper was provided by the trawlers owners and the relief skipper accompanied the rescue operation to take over the helm of the trawler on arrival on-scene.

NSRI medics were put aboard the trawler to stabilize the patient who was found in a stable and satisfactory condition.

The Skipper had self administered bandages and a tourniquet which was used to slow the bleeding and the skipper, correctly, released tension on the tourniquet at intervals to prevent further damage to his arm.

He was treated by the NSRI medics and transferred aboard our rescue craft and brought to our NSRI rescue base in Hout Bay harbour and transported to hospital by a Metro Ambulance in a stable condition.

The skipper was in good spirits throughout the rescue operation and told our rescue crew that 5 minutes prior to this incident he had been explaining to his crew what and how they should treat a situation where a shark is unintentionally caught by their fishing lines.

Mr. Fernandez admitted that he didn’t follow his own advice although the NSRI have not determined exactly what his advice was or how he handled the matter (of releasing the shark) which caused him to be bitten on the fingers and arm.

The size of the shark was also not divulged to the NSRI during the rescue operation.”

At 14h14 today NSRI Hout Bay were activated by the National Ports Authority following a request for assistance from Suzette van Vuuren, 50, from Cullinan, Pretoria, reporting to be suffering exhaustion and in need of assistance on a hiking trail between Hout Bay and Llandudno, but not sure of her exact location.

NSRI Hout Bay launched their rescue craft Albie Matthews while an NSRI rescue team headed to the scene by road preparing to hike in the direction of where Suzette thought she was to search for her.

WSAR (Wilderness search and Rescue), the Metro Ambulance and Rescue Services, the SA Police Services and the Metro Red Cross AMS helicopter were also activated and a search commenced while the rescue commander stayed in contact with Suzette on her cell-phone to assist to guide the rescue teams to her location.

Suzette was found by the crew aboard the Metro Red Cross AMS helicopter on a hiking trail at Oude Skip, Maori Bay, near to the Boss 400 Crane barge wreck, and a paramedic was put down by the helicopter near to her location and he found her to be dehydrated, exhausted and suffering suspected hypoglycaemia and heat stroke.

Following rehydration treatment Suzette was walked back along the trail to the nearest road where she was reunited with her friend Willie Kriel and released requiring no further medical attention.

Brad Geyser, NSRI Hout Bay Station Commander, said that Suzette told us she had hiked from Sea Point but had not planned to walk as far as she had. She said that while walking she got into a momentum and had telephoned Willie to tell him to meet her at a restaurant in Hout Bay for lunch, saying that they had planned to go for lunch in Hout Bay but that while walking she had simply decided to carry on on-foot and meet Willie there instead!!

Unprepared, with no water, hat or hiking provisions she had eventually found herself dehydrated and confused and had eventually decided that she needed assistance.

Suzette has appealed to others not to make the same mistake that she had and to prepare adequately when setting off on a walk.

Brad Geyser, NSRI Hout Bay Station Commander said: At 17h00 we were activated following reports from a diver charter boat, heading towards Hout Bay harbour from Maori Bay, between Hout Bay and Llandudno, reporting to have a 65 year old male diver on-board unconscious and requiring urgent medical assistance.

NSRI volunteers responded to the Hout Bay harbour slip-way, adjacent to our NSRI rescue base, and the Metro Ambulance and Rescue Services, Netcare 911 ambulance services and the Metro Red Cross AMS helicopter responded.

On arrival on-scene the dive charter boat, a 7.3 metre rigid inflatable, Aqualibrium, from a dive charter company, Dive Action, arrived at the slip-way and Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) efforts were being applied to the diver on-board.

NSRI medics and paramedics took over CPR efforts from the divers and a crewman of Dive Action but the man was later declared dead on the scene by paramedics.

It was determined that 4 divers had been left behind at Maori Bay when the dive boat made a dash for Hout Bay harbour with the unconscious diver, 5 fellow divers and the skipper and a crewman on-board, and our NSRI rescue craft Albie Matthews responded to Maori Bay to recover the 4 divers that had been left behind.

On arrival at Maori Bay a dive instructor and 3 divers were found perched on rocks on the shore.

NSRI rescue swimmer Gary Greenstone was sent ashore and he swum each man out to the rescue craft, one at a time, in relays using a rope reel and harness.

None of the 4 men who had been left behind was injured and they were brought to our NSRI rescue base.

It has not been determined what caused the deceased diver to get into difficulty and an inquest docket has been opened by Police.

In total 10 divers and the skipper of Aquilibrium and a crewman had launched to dive at Maori Bay earlier in the day. When it was determined that one of the divers, the 65 year old male, was in difficulty he was loaded on-board the dive boat with 5 fellow divers, the skipper and the crewman and brought to Hout Bay harbour and 4 of the divers had been left behind who were later recovered by our NSRI rescue boat.