[imagesource:pxhere]

“A remarkable effort” is how the National Sea Rescue Institute’s (NSRI) Craig Lambinon described the efforts of three rescue swimmers and at least 50 beachgoers who saved a man caught in strong ocean currents last week.

The young man almost drowned when he was caught in a strong rip current around 3PM on Thursday, 30 November, at Glenmore Beach, Port Edward, KwaZulu-Natal.

The Daily Maverick reported that lifeguards only go to the beach on weekends and will only be deployed daily at this beach from 15 December, so it was up to everyday civilians to save the life of a fellow beachgoer on Thursday.

The publication reported that three beachgoers used the NSRI’s Pink Rescue Buoys to save the man, while other beachgoers quickly formed a human chain to try and get the 20-year-old man out of the water as soon as possible.

The secretary of the Umtamvuna Surf Lifesaving Club, Terri Burger, said Glenmore Beach was a good swimming beach but did at times have a strong rip current that could be dangerous if you were not a strong swimmer.

“What happened here was phenomenal,” she said, with Lambinon adding that “Bystanders have gone beyond the extra mile”.

He said a 20-year-old and a 16-year-old who were at the beach launched into the surf with the NSRI’s Pink Rescue Buoys and were joined later by a former lifeguard who came to assist them.

“As they brought the man to the beach through the surf line, beachgoers formed a human chain from the beach into the water to help get the man out of the water,” Lambinon said. “This is highly commended.”

The NSRI Port Edward duty crew were activated around 3PM with reports of a drowning in progress, with a nearby fishing club catching the remarkable scene on camera:

The man was treated for non-fatal drowning symptoms and taken to hospital but was later discharged.

[source:dailymaverick]