4 Men Rescued From the Edge of a Dam Wall Spillway

At 19h05, Monday, 29 December, NSRI Witbank and NSRI Gauteng duty crews were activated following a request for urgent assistance from Police divers reporting that at the Grootdraai Dam there were 4 men trapped at their ski-boat that was hovering at the edge of the Grootdraai Dam spillway, Standerton, Mpumalanga.

Without hesitation NSRI Witbank dispatched the NSRI rescue vehicle towing the NSRI rescue craft Harveys Fibreglass (to respond the 140 kilometers to Standerton from Witbank) and NSRI Gauteng were activated and dispatched the NSRI rescue vehicle towing the NSRI rescue craft Rotary Endeavor (to respond the 143 kilometers from Benoni to Standerton).

Members of The Department of Water and Sanitation, the SA Police Services, Delta 1 Search and Rescue, Police K9 Search and Rescue, Mpumalanga Fire and Rescue Services and Mpumalanga Government Health EMS, were on the scene but unable to access or reach the 4 men, who were in the water clinging onto their ski-boat, on the edge of the dam wall spillway, in heavy flowing water.

It appears that the 4 men may have experienced motor mechanical failure to their ski-boat and they had drifted to the edge of the dam wall – at the spillway – that threatened to wash them and their boat over the wall in heavy flowing water with an approximately 40 meter drop into the Vaal River.

On arrival on the scene NSRI Witbank launched the NSRI rescue craft Harveys Fibreglass, between 3 and 4 kilometers upstream from the dam wall, accompanied by 3 NSRI rescue crew and accompanied by a civilian public member (who has vast knowledge of the dam), and tentatively approached the dam wall cautiously calculating the best approach and determining all and various options to rescue the 4 men.

This was an unfolding situation faced by various risks at an unfamiliar terrain where decisions made in seconds could determine success or failure.

Unknown to NSRI – it appears that a Department of Water and Sanitation member had opened 3 sluice gates at the spillway which automatically created a vacuum under the casualty boat alleviating the overflow pressure by some remarkable understanding of the situation – where the weir overflow in relation to the opened bottom slots – prevented the casualty boat from being swept over the edge despite trapping the boat in that precarious position on the edge of the dam wall in heavy flowing water.

NSRI has commended the Department of Water and Sanitation for what they achieved by opening the 3 sluice spillway gates.

NSRI Witbank station commander Travis Clack has explained that the initial approach was to ease power on the rescue crafts 2 outboard motors and drift backwards, stern towards the dam wall (towards the 4 casualties), where the boat motors power could be increased if it appeared that the NSRI rescue craft would be placed at risk of being trapped in the same vacuum (as the casualty boat) or at risk of being swept over the dam wall.

However, Travis has clarified, that while drifting backwards towards the casualty boat, strong 12 to 14 knot, winds were posing a risk causing the tossing and turning of the rescue craft by this approach method and he made the decision to go bow ahead towards the casualties with reverse gears ready to be engaged at a moments notice.

On approaching the 4 men the NSRI rescue craft was able to be manoeuvred with a greater safety margin – using this approach – but it remained a calculated risk.

NSRI Gauteng remained at the launch site ready to launch the rescue craft Rotary Endeavor if the need arose.

On approaching the casualty ski-boat, that was hanging precariously on the edge of the spillway, with the 4 men holding onto their boat, with all 4 men observed clinging onto the stern of their boat, all 4 wearing life-jackets, Witbank coxswain and station commander Travis Clack, and crew Francois du Randt and Jacqueline Enslin, prepared a throw line with a soft rescue buoy attached.

Initially the considerations were to rescue 1 at a time, in relays, said Travis. but when we got there, seeing the strength of the water flow, and once the throw line and rescue buoy had reached the men where one of the men was able to grab hold of the throw line – the realisation was that my rescue team and the 4 casualties would only get one chance – so we shouted at them to all grab the throw line and to hold on – “wrap the throw line around your arms and hold on tight” – at first they were reluctant fearing that they would be caught in the water flow but they obeyed the instructions and once we could see they were secure we initiated reverse thrust pulling the 4 men away from their ski-boat towards gentler flowing water while one of our NSRI crew pulled on the throw rope shortening their distance towards the rescue boat.

On reaching a safe distance from the edge of the weir NSRI were able to rescue all 4 men onto the rescue craft and bring them to where the emergency services were standing-by.

Once safely ashore they were medically assessed by EMS paramedics and all were found to not be injured.

The casualty boat, with the 4 casualties personal belongings onboard, remains trapped on the edge of the weir. NSRI are aware that the owner will consider options to try to recover the boat and the situation is being monitored by authorities / understandably throughout the ordeal the priority was to save all 4 men’s lives.

The 4 adult males are from Kinross, Mpumalanga, Scottburgh, KZN South Coast, Potchefstroom and we believe one man is local, from the Standerton area.

This rescue operation, the swift response by NSRI Witbank and NSRI Gauteng, is commended for saving the 4 men’s lives.