Missing Surfer Rescued

Jerome Simonis, NSRI Knysna station commander, said: At 12h17, Saturday, 13 June, NSRI Knysna duty crew were activated following reports to NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) of a surfer missing while surfing at Buffels Bay, along the Garden Route, near to Knysna.

NSRI crew responded to the NSRI Knysna station 12 rescue base where the NSRI rescue craft Eileen Medway and JayTee IV were launched.

WC Government Health EMS Metro Control placed the EMS/AMS Skymed rescue helicopter on high alert while an EMS rescue squad drone unit was activated and responded to Buffels Bay.

ER24 ambulance services were placed on alert.

Reports indicated that a 33 year old female, from George, had been surfing with 3 friends at Buffels Bay since around 09h30 in ideal surfing conditions with big waves while her partner was nearby at a local restaurant while they were surfing.
Her 3 friends had returned to the beach after surfing and they, and her partner, had assumed that the lady was still out in the waves surfing – they could see at least 4 surfers still in the water surfing and they had assumed that she was in amongst those surfers.

Only later when 3 of those 4 surfers also returned to the beach – the 1 surfer who remained at sea surfing did not match the description of the lady and they immediately initiated a search along the shoreline.

Realising that his partner could not be located in the water in the vicinity of where she had earlier been surfing he had flagged down and requested a bystander to call NSRI to raise the alarm while they continued to search and to alert the other surfers and bystanders to help in their efforts to try to find her. They feared that she may be missing at sea.

The 2 NSRI rescue craft navigated 3.5 meter to 4.5 meter swells through the Knysna Heads and responded in rough sea conditions to Buffels Bay where on arrival on the scene a search commenced for the missing female surfer who was now believed to have been missing for possibly a considerable time.

While responding to the scene it was taken into account, by NSRI crew responding on the boats while assessing sea conditions, that based on where she had been surfing (her last known position) the sea drift conditions may well have been in the direction towards Brenton-On-Sea and on arrival on the scene a sea search was initiated going in that direction, towards Brenton-On-Sea – following the sea currents direction.

During a search the NSRI crew on the NSRI rescue craft spotted a surfer who sat up on her surfboard (after she had seen NSRI rescue craft in the area) and at 12h47 the NSRI rescue craft reached her and rescued her onto the rescue craft.

Medical treatment for hypothermia was immediately commenced on the rescue craft while ER24 ambulance services were activated to respond to the NSRI rescue base in Knysna.

Her partner and friends were informed that she had been found and safely rescued and her partner was requested to make his way to the NSRI Knysna rescue base.

Responding emergency services were notified that the lady had been found and rescued.

On our arrival at our NSRI rescue base treatment for hypothermia was continued and the lady was reunited with her partner.

After the all clear was received by paramedics, with the lady responding well to the medical treatment, requiring no further medical treatment, she was released into the care of her partner and no further assistance was required.

It appears that while surfing the female surfer had been separated from her friends (this is normal to happen while surfing) but, unknown to her partner and friends, she had drifted away, further out to sea and in the direction of Brenton-On-Sea. But with the incoming tide (New Moon Spring tide) while drifting further out to sea and towards Brenton-On-Sea, despite all her efforts to try to paddle on her surfboard towards the shoreline she made no headway and eventually she simply lay on her surf board in efforts to remain calm and to conserve energy. The lady is commended for staying with her surfboard aware that eventually her partner and friends would realise that she is no longer surfing there and confident that they would raise the alarm on realising her distress.

NSRI are aware that sea conditions were not conducive to her being able to get to shore against the offshore sea currents in a hypothermic state (with reduced energy).

NSRI commend all who got involved in the efforts to raise the alarm and to start searching for her that initiated the extensive swift emergency response that contributed to her life being saved.