Mark McLagan, NSRI Hermanus coxswain, said:
At 09h10, Saturday, 24 January, NSRI Hermanus duty crew were, while conducting routine training exercises, were activated following reports of a couple requiring urgent medical care at Hardebaai, Onrus.
Reports indicated that the couple, a male age 76 and a female age 68, had capsized their double sea-kayak offshore of Hardebaai but were now ashore and needing medical care.
Our NSRI rescue vehicle, CMC ambulance services and Priority Care ambulance services responded.
On arrival on the scene they were provided medical care and both were transported to hospital, one transported by a CMC ambulance and one transported by a Priority Care ambulance, both in stable conditions.
They are both expected to make full recoveries.
It appears that after capsizing we believe in the surf zone they had been in the water for almost up to an hour before managing to get to shore. No alarm had been raised but on reaching the shoreline they requested medical care.
It appears that bystanders recovered their sea kayak.
Then at 13h18 our duty crew were activated to respond to Fisherhaven Lagoon where a ski-boat with 2 men onboard was reported to be adrift with motor mechanical failure.
Our NSRI rescue vehicle responded, towing our rescue craft JetRIB, that was launched onto Fisherhaven Lagoon.
NSRI Kleinmond duty crew were placed on alert.
On arrival on the scene we found the ski-boat had drifted into shallow muddy water where we were unable to get our rescue craft close enough to the casualty boat to set up a towline.
A male Good samaritan, who had paddled towards the incident from Arabella on his kayak, he offered to assist.
Using his kayak he transported an NSRI rescue swimmer to the casualty boat while a second NSRI rescue swimmer swam and waded through the shallow thick muddy water.
The 2 men on the casualty ski-boat were safe and in good spirits but their boat was stranded in the shallow muddy water.
Together, the 2 casualty men, the Good Samaritan man with his kayak, and the 2 NSRI rescue swimmers, were able to raft the kayak to the bow of the casualty vessel and in joint efforts, with the kayak towing the casualty boat and the NSRI rescue swimmers pushing the casualty boat, with the combined efforts they were able to free the casualty boat from the muddy water, getting her to deeper water, where a towline was established from our rescue craft and we towed the causality boat to the slipway where she was recovered without incident.
NSRI has commended the Good Samaritan man for his assistance with his kayak.
The 2 men on the casualty boat are from Cape Town on a holiday to Hermanus visiting family. After their boat was recovered they required no further assistance.
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Fun South African Fact: The waters surrounding the 2,500km long coastline are teeming with life. You’ll find great white sharks, African penguins, dolphins and much much more in South Africa’s oceans. Many travellers visit the coast to watch the annual whale migrations. In Hermanus, in the Western Cape, you can see hundreds of whales from June to late November. Simon’s Town, another coastal Western Cape town, is home to Boulder’s Beach. Here you can swim alongside colonies of African Penguins!
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Fun South African Fact: South Africa has one of the world’s most luxurious trains.