Silent Sentinel Saves

A local Good Samaritan, with the aid of an NSRI pink rescue buoy, has been commended for contributing to saving the life of a local teenager who was swept out of the Goukou River Mouth in an outgoing Spring tide.

Stéfan Grové, NSRI Stilbaai station commander, said: At 17h51, Thursday, 6 November, NSRI Stilbaai duty crew, who were at the NSRI Stilbaai station 31 rescue base preparing for routine training, were activated following eyewitness reports of a drowning in progress in the Goukou River Mouth.

A local teenager was being swept out of the Goukou River Mouth in an outgoing Spring tide.

A local adult man, a Good Samaritan, had launched into the outgoing sea currents, armed with an NSRI pink rescue buoy.

He had reached the male teenager and using the NSRI pink rescue buoy as floatation he kept the teenager afloat while they were swept out to sea beyond the river mouth.

The Good Samaritan was able to swim the teenager, who was holding onto the pink rescue buoy, towards the shore.

The NSRI Stilbaai JetRIB rescue craft was launched where beyond the river mouth, in the surf zone, the NSRI rescue craft reached the adult man and the teenager.

The teenager was rescued onto the NSRI rescue craft and the Good Samaritan man was taken onboard the rescue craft and they were brought safely to our NSRI rescue base.

The teenager was medically assessed and not injured he was released requiring no further assistance.

It appears that while a local family were on the river shoreline (we believe) some of their beach toys had been swept into the river. The teenager had gone into the water to help to try to recover (we believe) a beach ball and some beach toys when he was caught in strong sea currents in the outgoing Spring tide and he was swept away.

Local Good Samaritan Pieter van Niekerk, hearing the commotion, went to investigate and seeing the teenager in distress he grabbed the NSRI pink rescue buoy that is stationed on the shoreline there, and launched into strong currents, using the outgoing sea currents to reach the teenager swiftly.

Pieter reached the teenager, keeping him afloat with the aid of the NSRI pink rescue buoy while they were being swept further out to sea, and was then able to swim the teenager towards the shore (while the teenager held onto the pink rescue buoy) to a point where he could stand when they were met by the responding NSRI rescue craft.

NSRI has commended local Good Samaritan Pieter van Niekerk for his swift actions that contributed to saving the life of the teenager.