- A teenage girl was rescued after she was swept out to sea in Cape Town.
- The girl was caught in a rip current at Rocklands Beach.
- Two men entered the water to help her.
Quick action from good Samaritans saved a girl from being swept out to sea in Sea Point.
On Saturday, the teenage girl became caught in a rip current at Rocklands Beach in Sea Point. The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) was informed of the incident at around 16:30.
A bystander took the NSRI Pink Rescue Buoy at Three Anchor Bay from its pole and threw it to the girl. It washed towards her in the same rip current.
Two men, 33-year-old Somerset West resident Duane Povey and a man only identified as Matt, assessed the situation and decided to assist. As the buoy reached the girl, both men entered the water.
READ | Gqeberha woman swept out to sea after vessel capsizes rescued by NSRI
"Duane has told NSRI that although he is not a strong swimmer, he committed to entering the water because the pink rescue buoy had already reached the girl, giving him, and he believes Matt also, the confidence to enter the water because the floatation object was already in play," said NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon.
NSRI rescue crews were dispatched while Duane and Matt reached the girl about 30 to 40 metres off-shore. They helped her to get a better grip on the rescue buoy and between them, helped her safely to shore.
She was not injured and she was returned to her family members, Lambinon said.
This is the 80th life that was saved with the help of an NSRI Pink Rescue Buoy since the inception of the programme in 2017, said NSRI drowning prevention manager Andrew Ingram.
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