Kyle Burns, NSRI Gordons Bay duty coxswain, said: At 10h02, Friday, 29 May, NSRI Gordons Bay duty crew were activated following reports of two paddlers appearing to be in distress offshore between the Gordons Bay Naval College and Gordons Bay Main Beach.
NSRI crew, at the NSRI Gordons Bay station 9 rescue at the time, attending to routine maintenance, were approached by a local fisherman who indicated that while angling from rocks on the shoreline nearby he was concerned for two paddlers who appeared to be in distress.
An NSRI coxswain went to the location with the fisherman to evaluate the situation and indeed 2 female paddlers, one on a kayak and one on a paddle-ski, appeared to be trying to paddle to shore but they were making no headway against a strong South Easterly wind descending off the Mountain.
Our duty crew were activated to respond to base.
While preparing the rescue craft Boetie Woltemade to be launched, and with additional NSRI crew responding to base, NSRI crew were then approached at the rescue base by a local female reporting that she had been paddling with the 2 ladies and she confirmed that they were indeed in distress.
As additional NSRI crew arrived at our NSRI rescue base the NSRI rescue craft Boetie Woltemade was launched and we dispatched our NSRI rescue vehicle to the nearest landmark.
On arrival on the scene the 2 ladies had by now managed to reach rocks on the shoreline and they were able to get ashore.
At that stage CoCT (City of Cape Town) Law Enforcement Marine Unit officers were arriving on the scene after they had received emergency calls from eyewitnesses.
Once safely ashore the 2 ladies were treated for hypothermia.
Their husbands, and their lady friend (fellow paddler), were also on the scene and one female – she was more seriously hypothermic – she was warmed up in her husbands car.
Ambulance Services were alerted but prior to ambulances arriving on the scene both ladies had warmed up sufficiently and no further medical care was required – responding ambulances were stood down.
The local casualties were taken home by their husbands for further care.
It appears that while paddling the 3 ladies had been caught by the strong South Easterly down draft coming off the mountains causing one lady to capsize. The other 2 ladies attempted to help her when one of the ladies decided to paddle to shore to raise the alarm.
After getting back onto her paddle-ski and lying down on her paddle-ski, paddling by hand, and with her friend paddling on her sea-kayak and attempting to help, despite the strong offshore wind, they managed to get to shore as our NSRI rescue craft was arriving on the scene.
NSRI commends the local fisherman who came to the NSRI base to raise the alarm and we commend the one friend, still able to paddle, for having the presence of mind to paddle to shore to raise the alarm.
