Jerome Simonis, NSRI Knysna station commander, said: At 13h15, Saturday, 6 December, NSRI Knysna duty crew were activated following eyewitness reports of a drowning in progress at Brenton on Sea Main Beach, Knysna.
Eyewitnesses reported 2 persons in distress in the surf zone caught in rip currents.
NSRI rescue swimmers and off-duty NSRI lifeguards responded directly to the scene while the NSRI rescue craft JayTee IV and Katharine were launched.
The SA Police Services, Police WPDS (Water Policing and Diving Services), ER24 ambulance services and WC Government Health EMS were activated and responded.
On NSRI rescue craft arriving on the scene NSRI rescue swimmers were deployed into the water and they swam ashore, with medical equipment, finding the 2 casualties, a father, age 45, and his daughter, believed to be age 17, on the beach.
They are on a holiday from Limpopo.
They had both been rescued from the surf zone by a Good Samaritan man using an NSRI pink rescue buoy (stationed at the beach at Brenton on Sea).
An NSRI doctor and NSRI medics administered medical treatment to the dad, who was semi-conscious suffering non-fatal drowning symptoms.
The daughter was not injured.
Our NSRI medical team were joined by paramedics, additional NSRI crew and NSRI lifegfuards and Police divers.
The dad was stabilized before being transported to hospital by ER24 ambulance in stable but serious condition where he is recovering in hospital in the care of doctors and nurses.
Our thoughts and care are with the family at this time.
The Good Samaritan man that rescued the dad and his daughter from the water, using an NSRI pink rescue buoy, he happens to be a sand castle contractor at the beach. He was building sand castles on the beach when he noticed the dad and daughter in distress. Without hesitation he grabbed the NSRI pink rescue buoy and launched into the water successfully rescuing the dad and daughter. He is commended for his efforts.
NSRI pink rescue buoys, launched by NSRI, in cooperation with municipalities and the public, in 2017, are now responsible for 228 lives saved.
No harm has come to a Good samaritan using an NSRI pink rescue buoy during the execution of a bystander water rescue.