Daring sea rescue after hiker's injury

Update

PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Plettenberg Bay sea rescue volunteers evacuated a hiker from the Robberg Nature Reserve hiking trail on Saturday 20 April after she injured her knee.

Local NSRI deputy station commander Ross Badenhorst said they received a request for assistance from a group of hikers from Port Elizabeth just after 12:00. "They reported that an adult female hiker in their party had been injured with a suspected fractured or strained patella," Badenhorst said.

The hikers were at The Point when they realised that the woman was unable to continue hiking.

"Her husband, a doctor, had initiated treatment and confirmed that she would not be able to hike any further and medical evacuation assistance was required."

Badenhorst said they then dispatched their sea rescue craft, the Leonard Smith and Free Runner. "On arrival on the scene we put our NSRI rescue swimmers ashore and they secured the patient into our floating stretcher. In between wave sets our rescue swimmers swam her through the surf and loaded her onto the sea rescue craft. We transported her to our sea rescue station where she was collected by a family friend who is also a doctor."

The injured woman's husband and the rest of the hiking party hiked back to the reserve's car park.

• Read a previous article here: Daring sea rescue after hiker suffers injury

Her husband, a doctor, had initiated treatment.