Update
PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Good Samaritans and a pink rescue buoy saved a young swimmer's life after he was caught in a rip current on Robberg Beach.
Plettenberg Bay National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) station commander Marc Rodgers said local volunteers responded to a call for help at 18:20 on Monday 1 April from Cape Town holidaymaker Leah Berman. She informed them that a young family friend of theirs was caught in a rip current between Robberg 5 and the Beacon Island Hotel.
Rodgers said when they arrived on the scene the 15-year-old Samora Tembe of Johannesburg had already been assisted by friends and did not require any further help.
"NSRI medics checked on Samora and he was fine and in good spirits," Rodgers said.
Prevailing rip current
He added that an NSRI supporter from Cape Town, Saul Berman, had specifically asked the Plettenberg Bay NSRI to place a pink rescue buoy in front of his house at due to the frequency of incidents at that beach where a rip current prevails.
"We complied without hesitation as Saul had sponsored a number of buoys in the past," Rodgers said.
He explained that while Samora was swimming he found himself caught in a rip current, when Leah raised the alarm.
"Samora was caught in the current and trying to swim against it. We later determined, although he is a strong swimmer, he was unaware of the rip current and did not know to swim across the beach to free himself from the current."
Rodgers added that Leah saw a jogger on the beach, local Brian Bailey, and requested his assistance.
"Leah's brother Zack ran to fetch the pink buoy off the board while Brian stripped off his jogging gear and with the pink buoy in his hand, launched into the surf. While wading through the surf towards the teenager he shouted at him to move sideways to free himself from the rip but the teenager still made no progress.
He then popped onto the sandbank and was finally safe, and Brian waded with the teenager safely to shore."
Rodgers was delighted that they could now boast 32 rescues using the pink rescue buoy programme.
Teen in trouble after bridge jump
In another incident, Plettenberg Bay sea rescue volunteers assisted a teenager who fractured his leg after jumping off a bridge into shallow water last week.
Rodgers said they received reports of an incident on the Keurbooms River just before 17:00 on 28 March. "The reports revealed that a 14-year-old boy from Cape Town had suffered an injured leg."
The NSRI dispatched a sea rescue vehicle and ER24 ambulance services responded.
Rodgers said on arrival the patient was stabilised and transported to hospital by ambulance where he underwent surgery to address the fractured leg.
Read a previous article: Young swimmer saved at Robberg
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