Schalk Boonzaaier, NSRI Kleinmond station commander, said: At 15h00, Sunday, 25 January, NSRI Kleinmond duty crew were activated to reports of a mass drowning in progress at Kleinmond Main Beach.
NSRI Kleinmond rescue swimmers, The SA Police Services, WC Government Health EMS, Overstrand Law Enforcement and Overstrand Fire and Rescue Services, responded while the NSRI rescue craft JetRIB was launched.
On arrival on the scene it was determined that 7 teenagers, (males and females) and 2 adults (a mom and dad of some of the children) were caught in rip currents and in distress in the surf zone.
The casualties were widely separated from each other attempting to stay afloat and caught in sea currents in and beyond the surf zone.
NSRI rescue swimmers and 2 male bystander Good Samaritans, using 5 NSRI pink rescue buoys (stationed at Kleinmond Main Beach), and assisted by the NSRI Kleinmond rescue craft JetRIB, that was launched on the scene while rescue swimmers and the 2 Good Samaritans were rescuing casualties towards the shoreline, rescued all 9 people from the surf zone, bringing all 9 casualties to the beach.
The 9 casualties were medically assessed by paramedics.
Some displayed non-fatal drowning symptoms but all were released on the scene into the care of parents.
It appears that the teenagers, all aged 13, were attending a 13th birthday celebration, when they were caught in rip currents while swimming. A mom and dad had entered the water to assist when they were caught in sea currents.
The swift response and the assistance of the 2 Good Samaritans is commended.
Earlier, at 10h48, NSRI Kleinmond duty crew were activated to reports of an adult male swimmer appearing to be in distress at Kleinmond Main Beach.
NSRI rescue swimmers responded while eyewitness reports indicated that a male bystander, a Good Samaritan, had launched into the water with a body board, to assist.
WC Government Health EMS were activated.
On arrival on the scene it was found that a man was in distress in the surf zone, caught in rip currents.
The bystander man, Good Samaritan, armed with a body board, used as flotation, was assisting the man.
An NSRI rescue swimmer launched into the water to assist.
The Good Samaritan man, a former lifeguard from France, age 60, assisted by the NSRI rescue swimmer, safely rescued the casualty, a 64 year old male, from Switzerland, safely to the beach where the casualty man and the Good Samaritan man were medically attended to by EMS paramedics.
Following medical treatment both men were released requiring no further medical care.
The swift response and the assistance of the French Good Samaritan is commended.
At 16h00, off-duty NSRI rescue swimmers, attending at Kleinmond Main Beach with their families, witnessed an adult male in distress in the surf zone.
The off-duty NSRI rescue swimmers raised the alarm before entering the water, armed with NSRI pink rescue buoys (stationed at Kleinmond Main Beach), where they rescued an adult male Malawian man safely to the beach.
The man was not injured and he required no further assistance.
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