[imagesource:facebook/searescuesimonstown]

In a dramatic rescue operation this past Thursday, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) saved two experienced extreme sportsmen during stormy weather conditions between Simon’s Town and Miller’s Point.

The NSRI Simon’s Town station commander, Andrew de Kock, reported that the local team received a call from a concerned eyewitness who saw the surf skiers struggling in the water on Thursday. To be fair, you’ve got to have some real guts to go out onto the ocean in the extreme weather we’ve been experiencing in the Cape of late.

Luckily, the ballsy paddlers activated the SafeTrx emergency button on their cellphones, a free application provided by NSRI, which alerted rescue services to the paddlers’ plight.

Once notified, the NSRIsquad sprang to action, despite de Kock’s concern over the rescue conditions:

“On arrival on the scene, 0.3 nautical miles offshore of Fisherman’s Beach, conditions were poor with fading light, gusting gale-force winds, whipping sea spray, 1 to 1.5-metre sea swells, white water wind chop sea swells, and near-blinding sea spray.”

The harsh winds and massive swells pushed waves over the two surf skiers’ seacrafts, placing both men in serious danger of being pulled into the depths.

As the NSRI commenced the rescue, they found one man still onboard the surf-ski while the other was in the water, barely holding on and progressively becoming hypothermic due to the icy waters.

The brave (and slightly foolish) paddlers had discarded one of their oars and used the other to signal their position towards the approaching rescue craft.

The situation became even more complicated as the NSRI’s initial approach to the scene was thwarted by the fierce winds, which blew the rescue craft away from the skiers. After some careful circling, the skilled rescuers eventually managed to position the rescue craft 10 to 15 metres from the two men.

“We circled the two men to approach them from an upwind direction, but in the severity of the situation, it was decided to activate the NSRI’s rigid hull inflatable boat and NSRI rescue craft Jack & Irene to assist,” de Kock elaborated.

“The first man, who was severely hypothermic, was assisted to the stern by one of the rescue swimmers, with the help of the deck crew after a safety rope was passed to them. Two additional rescue swimmers assisted the man onto the platform before the other two deck crew recovered him onto the heaving deck. The man being severely hypothermic was not able to help himself.”

The crew moved quickly to first assist the hypothermic man into the shelter of the NSRI craft wheelhouse, initiating rewarming treatment. From there, de Kock explained that the next big challenge was to secure the surf ski crafts to the NSRI boat, which the crew had to hold onto during the return leg to prevent it from being swept off and blown away by the fierce winds.

The lucky surf skiers, both local adult males and highly experienced in extreme sports, are commended for having and using the free NSRI SafeTrx app on their phones, which played a crucial role in alerting the NSRI and facilitating the intense rescue.

Experienced in extreme sports or not, there’s no match for the Cape of Storms this time of year – thankfully we have our very own super-rescue-squad in the NSRI. A good reminder not to brave the ocean’s waves during this time of year, and if you do, have the NSRI’s nifty, and potentially life-saving, app at the ready.

[source:iol]