[Image: Freerange Stock]
For over seven agonising hours, a father, his son, and two teenage boys clung desperately to the upturned hull of their capsized boat, stranded in icy waters off the Hermanus coast.
Their fishing trip had turned into a nightmare at dawn when an unexpected wave silently flipped their boat at anchor, hurling them into the sea.
It was 05:30 on Saturday, March 15, when the small cabin ski-boat capsized, leaving them trapped in thick fog, just 100 meters offshore, with no way to call for help. Panic surged when the father’s 17-year-old son disappeared beneath the boat, feared drowned—only to resurface moments later, drifting in and out of consciousness, possibly from a head injury sustained in the capsize.
With nothing but their grip on the hull to keep them afloat, the group endured the relentless cold, waiting for a rescue they couldn’t summon. Their survival instincts kicked in—they knew staying with the floating wreck was their only hope.
As midday approached, the fog began to lift, revealing their desperate struggle to anglers along the shoreline. The fishermen, spotting what appeared to be a capsized boat with people clinging on for life, immediately raised the alarm. By 12:40, multiple emergency calls flooded in, activating the NSRI Hermanus duty crew—who, by sheer luck, were just recovering their rescue craft from a training exercise.
Within minutes, NSRI rescue vessels Leonard Smith and JetRib Rescue 17 Bravo were launched into action. Racing to the scene, they found the four victims still clinging to the hull, hypothermic, exhausted, and injured. The 49-year-old father and his unconscious son were in serious condition as rescuers hauled them aboard and began emergency treatment.
Back at the NSRI Hermanus rescue base, EMS paramedics and a rescue squad took over, stabilising the four before rushing them to the hospital. The son, slipping between consciousness and oblivion, fought through his injuries, but all are now recovering and expected to make full recoveries.
Meanwhile, NSRI crews recovered the capsized vessel, towed it to Hermanus Harbour, and even retrieved the family’s vehicle and trailer, ensuring their ordeal ended with as much dignity as possible.
The eyewitnesses who raised the alarm were commended for their swift action, and the families involved have requested privacy as they recover from their harrowing near-death experience at sea.
The dad and his son, and the two teenagers from the two other families, had launched earlier at Hawston to go fishing, NSRI reports. The three families were on a weekend vacation break to Hermanus.
[Source: NSRI]
