Four saved from sea in KZN, W Cape
2011-12-21 21:28
Cape Town - Four people were plucked from the ocean on opposite sides of the country on Wednesday after they were swept off rocks, the National Sea Rescue Institute said.
In Kleinmond, Western Cape, a quick-thinking holidaymaker headed out to sea on a surfboard that provided a floating platform for a fisherman to hang on to while waiting for rescuers, NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said in a statement.
The teenager and his father were swept off the rocks while fishing. Chrisman de Jager, from Fairland, Johannesburg, noticed a commotion in the water while walking along the beach and rushed to his nearby holiday home to raise an alarm before heading into the water with his brother's board.
About 50m offshore, he helped 19-year-old Lindsay Williams, from Edenvale, Johannesburg, who risked being battered against the rocks.
Lindsay's 61-year-old father, Bruce, meanwhile, had been smashed against the rocks, injuring his head. However, he managed to scramble up on to them, dazed and disorientated.
"Duty lifeguards at the nearby Kleinmond beach responded to the scene on a jet-ski and upon reaching the two men rescued Lindsay and took him to shore while other lifeguards and members of the public recovered Bruce from the rocks," said Lambinon.
The father and son were in a stable condition.
"Doctors will replace the dislocation of Lindsay's arm and Bruce is receiving treatment for shock and a laceration and contusions to the head," said Lambinon.
Spring tide
"Chrisman was able to get to shore safely on his surfboard without any assistance and is commended for his actions."
On the other side of the country, at Shelley Beach in KwaZulu-Natal, a young Brakpan couple was swept into the sea when a wave struck them on some rocks.
Two local diving charter teams nearby came to their rescue.
"The young couple were treated on-scene by Hibiscus Medivac paramedics and both were transported to hospital in a stable condition, suffering symptoms of near drowning... ."
Lambinon warned people at the coast to be extremely safety conscious.
"The monthly new moon Spring tide will cause high tide to be higher than normal, low tide to be lower than normal and rip currents to be stronger than normal."
- SAPA
