The 4th of January was a busy day for the NSRI, with two drownings and a head injury: At 12h57 NSRI Strandfontein responded to 9 Miles Beach, 600 metres from the NSRI Strandfontein rescue base, after fisherman reported that a man had disappeared in the surf while swimming.
An extensive search, which has included two NSRI rescue craft, the Metro Red Cross AMS helicopter, Metro Ambulance and Rescue Services, Police, Law Enforcement and Police Divers, has revealed no sign of a missing 22 year old Elsies River man who is presumed to have drowned.
Police divers are continuing to search and the mans family, from Phillipi, are receiving trauma counseling.
Michael Saunders, NSRI Strandfontein Deputy Station Commander, said that it appears that the man was swept out to sea by strong rip-currents before getting into difficuly and disappearing beneath the surf.
Michael said that the fishermen who witnessed the man getting into difficulty before disappearing beneath the surf had tried to swim out to assist but had returned to the beach after realizing that they may get into difficulty themselves in the strong currents.
At 14h00 NSRI Simonstown, the SA Police Services, CMR (Cape Medical Response) and the Metro Ambulance and Rescue Services responded to Glencairn Beach to assist two Western Province lifeguards who had rescued a 43 year old male, Welcome Glen, from the surf, after the man had gotten into difficulty while trying to rescue his daughter who was in difficulty in the surf, and Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) had been commenced on the man, by the two lifeguards, after they had rescued him from the surf.
On arrival on-scene paramedics continued with CPR but after all efforts to resuscitate the man were exhausted on the scene he was declared dead.
The deceased mans daughter was not injured and was taken away from the scene with her sister by family members.
At 14h29 CMR (Cape Medical Response), NSRI Simonstown and ER-24 ambulance services responded to the Buffels Bay tidal pool at the Cape Point Nature Reserve following reports of a 17 year old male, from Kensington, Cape Town, injured after diving into the water and hitting his head on rocks.
CMR paramedics treated the man for head injuries and as a precaution full spinal imobilization techniques were applied and he has been transported to hospital by an ER-24 ambulance in a stable condition.
