Marc de Vos, NSRI Table Bay station commander, said: At 12h02, Sunday, 28 June, NSRI Table Bay duty crew were activated following eye-witness reports of surfers appearing to be in difficulty in the vicinity between Granger Bay and Green Point lighthouse.
NSRI Bakoven duty crew were at Cape Grace in the V&A Waterfront at the time having completed routine training and they re-launched the sea rescue craft Rotarian Schipper from a Cape Grace mooring to respond to the scene and our NSRI Table Bay duty crew responded to our sea rescue base at the V&A Waterfront and launched the sea rescue craft Spirit of Day.
Our NSRI Table Bay sea rescue vehicle responded and an NSRI Table Bay duty controller responded to the scene in her private vehicle.
On arrival on the scene it was discovered that a number of surfers had been in the water surfing when one surfers surfboard may have broken and one surfer appeared to have lost his surfboard in heavy surf conditions.
From eye-witness accounts the surfer whose surfboard may have broken is believed to have swum ashore and recovered his surfboard. It was not clear from eye-witness accounts if the surfboard had actually broken.
Another surfer had lost his surfboard, it is believed that his surfboard leash had broken, and he swam to the Water Club Marina and then later recovered his surfboard that washed ashore.
Another surfer was found paddling towards the Water Club Marina. He was picked up with his surfboard by our sea rescue craft Spirit of Day and we dropped him off at the Water Club Marina without incident.
Another surfer, who was not in any difficulty and who required no assistance, continued to surf.
In a separate incident 2 floatation buoys witnessed floating in the surf at Camps Bay on Saturday, 27 June, may still be afloat off-shore of the Atlantic Seaboard.
An NSRI Table Bay crew member and a concerned eye-witness had noticed the 2 floatation buoys in the surfline at Camps Bay at different times on Saturday.
We suspect that these floatation buoys may have broken free or fallen overboard a fishing vessel during the recent storm and our EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) are monitoring to hear if they get spotted again.
