Devon Wild, NSRI St Helena Bay station commander, said: At 08h52, Friday, 15 May, NSRI St Helena Bay duty crew were activated following an urgent request for medical assistance for a medical emergency onboard a fishing vessel at sea offshore of St Helena Bay and the vessel heading towards St Helena Bay. The crew of the vessel reporting CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) efforts in progress on their 63 year old Chief of the vessel, who is from Hout Bay.
Our NSRI duty crew responded to our NSRI St Helena Bay station 44 rescue base where we launched the NSRI rescue craft Rotary Onwards.
WC Government Health EMS and West Coast Medical Rescue were alerted and responded to St Helena Bay Harbour.
We rendezvoused with the vessel 10 nautical miles offshore where we found the crew of the fishing vessel performing CPR on the man.
NSRI medics were transferred onto the vessel and continued with CPR on the man on the vessel that was escorted by our rescue craft to St Helena Bay Harbour where paramedics boarded the vessel but sadly the man was declared deceased by paramedics.
Police attended at the scene – all indications are that sadly the cause of death may have been natural.
The body of the man was taken into the care of funeral services.
Condolences are conveyed to family, friends and colleagues, of the deceased man.
