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.

NSRI Table Bay volunteers responded aboard our rescue craft Vodacom Rescuer and the SA Police Services, Metro Ambulance and Rescue Services and Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services responded.

On arrival on-scene resuscitation efforts commenced on 38 year old Bradley Charles Grobelaar, from Bloubergstrand, who had sustained head injuries after reportedly been blown out of the water in gusty wind conditions and was blown against rocks adjacent to the beach in front of the Lagoon Beach Hotel.

Despite extensive resuscitation efforts by the Metro paramedics the injured kite-surfer was declared dead on the scene.

Wind gusts in excess of 50 knots were experienced, at times, during the day in the area.”