PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Sea rescue volunteers had their hands full recently with several call-outs to assist people in emergencies.

During the latest incident on 31 January, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) team in Pettenberg Bay responded to a call just after 15:00 of someone who was suffering a suspected heart attack on the beach in Nature's Valley.

Deputy station commander Laurent Eray said that a 75-year-old man had reportedly stopped breathing and was unresponsive before he spontaneously started breathing again and regained consciousness.

"Rescue 14 responded with our station medics directly to the scene and Medlife ambulance services responded. Four rescue swimmers were deployed with medical equipment and they proceeded to the casualty. At that stage Medlife had also arrived on the scene. The casualty was medically assisted, stabilised, secured to a back board, taken to the ambulance and was transported to hospital in a stable condition," Eray said.

The day before, just before 17:00, volunteers received information of a drowning in progress, this time at the Nature's Valley lagoon. Two people reported seeing "hands going down under the water".

"Rescue 14, Rescue 14 Alpha and our NSRI rescue vehicle were deployed to the scene. Both Rescue 14 and Rescue 14 Alpha had to beach on the seaside and run across the sand to reach the lagoon area as the river mouth is closed and generally too shallow to take a vessel through," said Eray. "Prior to NSRI arrival, a bystander had grabbed the pink buoy stationed there to assist. 

Also, a father and son team on kayaks had already conducted searching in the area for the missing person. The father then joined in with the NSRI team to assist in the search.

"NSRI commend the bystanders for the assistance given."

Sweeping the shoreline, freedive search patterns were conducted based on the information provided to them. The lagoon had some very deep holes and many tree logs on the lagoon bed. After an hour, search operations were called off. "There were no missing persons reported as of yet. Police were informed of the situation."

On Saturday 29 January, at about 13:00, the crew received a call for assistance from the occupants of a five-metre rigid hull inflatable boat, reporting engine problems just outside of the Keurbooms River mouth. 

They indicated that a tow was needed due to total engine failure. The vessel had set its anchor to remain stationary and not drift closer to the shoreline.

The skipper reported they had been skiing and the engine cut out shortly after they went over a wave. 

"After failure to restart the engine, the decision was to paddle the vessel into deeper water where they were out of the impact zone and out of danger. There were four people on board including the skipper."

Eray said the NSRI's Jetrib, operated by Eric Stratford, was out on the water at the time, assisting with the Plett Surf Nipper Carnival. "She was diverted to the river mouth to assist.

"The crew from the casualty vessel were taken off the vessel and transported to the beach aboard our sea rescue craft while the skipper remained on board. On arrival back at the casualty craft the skipper informed us that he had managed to get the engine started again and it was agreed by all that he would enter the mouth while being accompanied by our Jetrib." 

The operation continued without any further incidents and the Jetrib returned to assist with water safety at the carnival.

Later, at 17:24, the NSRI received a call about a person who had an injured leg on a trail near Nature's Valley beach. "Contact was made with the caller, and it was established that the casualty was lying at Board 70 - Salt River Point, which is a two-kilometre hike from Nature's Valley beach. Two sea rescue craft were launched after we assessed that a water extraction would be the best option," said Eray.

On arrival at the scene, both sea rescue craft went into the Salt River mouth where rescue swimmers and medical equipment were put onto the smaller craft and taken into shallower water closer to the casualty. "The casualty had slipped on rocks while on the way to go fishing with friends. The casualty had an injured ankle and could not walk.

"His ankle was stabilised and he was secured onto a back board and brought closer to the water's edge on the back board. Then the casualty was put into our specialised floating stretcher and towed behind the Jetrib to our larger sea rescue craft which was waiting in calmer water in Salt River mouth. 

"Once he was aboard Rescue 14, the Jetrib returned to collect the remaining crew and medical equipment. Once all were safely back on board we returned back to base. A colleague of the casualty arrived at our rescue base to collect him."

On 28 January at about 17:00, CapeNature officials requested assistance for an injured hiker in the Robberg Nature Reserve. 

"Rangers reported that the casualty, a 27-year-old female on holiday from Stellenbosch, had a possible broken ankle and was unable to walk. The casualty's position was at The Gap on Robberg nature reserve trail and it was quite a distance to walk to the car park. Our sea rescue craft Leonard Smith was launched while several crew responded directly to the scene. Crewman Nic van den Handel arrived at the casualty and reported that the injury appeared to be a soft tissue injury. "The casualty was moved towards The Boardwalk."

When their craft arrived on the scene, four rescue swimmers went to the casualty with medical equipment. They stabilised the injured woman before securing her onto a back board and carrying her to the car park.

No further assistance was needed.

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