Andrew de Kock, NSRI Simonstown duty coxswain, said: At 16h43, Thursday, 11 July, NSRI Simonstown received a call from a concerned resident reporting they were observing what appeared to be a surf-skier in trouble approximately 200 meters off-shore of Froggy Pond, between Simonstown and Millers Point.
Our NSRI Simonstown duty crew were activated to respond our rescue base. Our NSRI Simonstown coast watchers were alerted and they immediately began to scan the area to get eyes on the paddler.
Our NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) had been monitoring a group of surf-skiers using our NSRI SafeTrx console. They appeared to be on a reverse Millers downwind run, paddling the approximately 6 nautical miles, from Fish Hoek to Millers Point.
Then, at 16h47, our NSRI EOC received an emergency activation on the NSRI SafeTrx from a double surf-ski in that area.
NSRI EOC contacted the paddlers who, had pressed the SafeTrx emergency button on their cellphone, and the paddlers confirmed that they were on a double surf-ski urgently needing assistance.
They reported one man was able remain on the surf-ski, but that the other man had fallen off, was unable to remount and was now in the water, hanging onto the back of the surf-ski.
It was immediately cross-checked with the caller and confirmed that this NSRI SafeTrx emergency activation and the eyewitness report were one and the same.
Our NSRI EOC were able to send our NSRI rescue crew screen shot images and details of the casualty’s position from the NSRI SafeTrx console.
This provided our NSRI rescue crew a great situational picture while we were launching our NSRI rescue craft Donna Nicholas, this aiding us to locate the casualties swiftly.
The NSRI Simonstown rescue craft Jack&Irene was prepared to be launched.
Making best use of the following sea currents and winds, we made good progress on the Donna Nicholas towards the scene using our onboard iPad (which has access to the SafeTrx console) to guide our rescue craft directly to the 2 men.
On arrival on the scene, 0.3 nautical miles offshore of Fisherman’s Beach, conditions were poor with fading light, gusting gale force North Westerly winds (that strengthened in intensity and changed direction to North Easterly during the operation), whipping sea spray, 1 to 1.5 meter sea swells and white water wind chop sea swells and near blinding sea spray, that saw drenching waves come over the wheel house and over the stern deck, we found both men to be in peril.
One man was still onboard the surf-ski and the other man was in the water holding onto the surf-ski and he appeared to be severely hypothermic.
They had discarded one of their paddles and they were using the other paddle to signal their position towards our approaching rescue craft.
We circled the 2 men in order to approach them from an upwind direction, but, looking at the severity of the situation and the obvious challenges we faced, it was immediately decided to activate our RHIB (rigid hull inflatable boat), the NSRI rescue craft Jack&Irene, to come to assist us in what was clearly going to be a challenging operation to rescue these 2 men.
Jack&Irene was launched and responded towards the scene.
CMR (Cape Medical Response) was activated, by our rescue base controllers, to dispatch a CMR ambulance and CMR advanced life support paramedics to stand-by at our NSRI Simonstown station 10 rescue base.
The first attempted approach to the casualties resulted in our rescue craft being blown a fair distance from the 2 casualties, so we circled them a second time, and despite the waves and spray washing over the wheelhouse and deck of our rescue craft, we managed to position the rescue craft 10 to 15 meters from the 2 men and 2 NSRI rescue swimmers were deployed into the water, from our rescue craft, where they reached and secured both casualties.
The first man, who was severely hypothermic, was assisted (swum) to the stern by one of the rescue swimmers, with the help of the deck crew after a safety rope was passed to them. 2 additional rescue swimmers (who were both also at the ready to be deployed into the water to assist if it became necessary) assisted the man onto the aft platform before the other 2 deck crew recovered him onto the heaving deck and the man being severely hypothermic was not able to help himself. Our crew assisted him into the shelter of the warm wheelhouse where they initiated rewarming treatment.
Once the first rescue swimmer returned to the other casualty, the second rescue swimmer and the surf-ski, the second rescue swimmer then assisted (swam) the second casualty safely to the aft platform, (our deck crew again using a safety rope to pull them closer), and he was hauled onboard. This man was able to help himself, with some assistance from the deck crew, into the shelter of the wheel house. Rewarming treatment was provided to the second man.
The second rescue swimmer then returned to the surf-ski where the first rescue swimmer had been maintaining a degree of control of it. They were then able to wrestle the surf-ski to the stern of the rescue craft where our deck crew were able to assist in recovering the surf-ski onto the rescue craft where it was secured (made fast).
In relays both men, their surf-ski and the rescue swimmers had been recovered onto our rescue craft and we began the return trip back to our rescue base.
The rescue craft Jack&Irene met up with us en-route and escorted the rescue craft Donna Nicholas towards Simonstown harbour while extensive medical rewarming treatment was being applied to the 2 men in the shelter of our rescue craft cabin.
Despite the casualty craft being secured to the stern, during the return leg our crew had to hold onto the surf-ski to prevent it from being swept off and blown away by the fierce winds and by the tumultuous seas.
On arrival at our rescue base both men were taken into the care of the CMR paramedics and after being rewarmed they were both in good spirits, warmed up and after further care they required no further attention. They were collected by their fellow paddlers.
The surf-skiers, both local adult males and highly experienced extreme sport surf-skiers, are commended for having and using our free NSRI SafeTrx app on their phones, while participating in this extreme sport activity, where what appears to have been a broken rudder cable, rough seas and strong winds, that may have all contributed to their getting into difficulties.
Without doubt this rescue operation tested our NSRI Simonstown crew who are commended for displaying excellence in executing a successful rescue operation in these extreme and challenging conditions.
The local resident who first raised the alarm is commended for their vigilance and for swiftly raising the alarm. Assistance from our NSRI coast watchers and our NSRI EOC is greatly appreciated.
Post the rescue operation our crew debriefed, we washed down our rescue craft and our rescue base, and the base was closed at 20h50.
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