Cape Town - Two experienced extreme sport surf skiers who got into trouble during challenging weather conditions between Simon’s Town and Miller’s Point have been rescued in an intricate operation at sea.
National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Simon’s Town station commander, Andrew de Kock, said they received a call from a concerned eyewitness who saw the surf skiers in trouble on Thursday.
The paddlers had also, at the same time, pressed the SafeTrx emergency button on their cellphone, alerting the NSRI that they urgently needed assistance.
“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 .
“This saw drenching waves come over the wheel-house and over the stern deck, and we found both men to be in peril.
“One man was still onboard the surf-ski and the other man was in the water holding onto the surf-ski and he appeared to be severely hypothermic.
“They had discarded one of their paddles and they were using the other paddle to signal their position towards our approaching rescue craft,” De Kock said.
De Kock said they circled the two men to approach them from an upwind direction, but in the severity of the situation it was decided to activate the NSRIs rigid hull inflatable boat and NSRI rescue craft Jack&Irene, to assist.
The first attempted approach to the casualties resulted in the rescue craft being blown away.
De Kock said it was then decided to circle them a second time, and despite the waves and spray, they managed to position the rescue craft 10 to 15 metres from the two men.
“The first man, who was severely hypothermic, was assisted (swum) 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 and the man being severely hypothermic was not able to help himself.
“Our crew assisted him into the shelter of the warm wheelhouse where they initiated rewarming treatment.
"The second rescue swimmer then returned to the surf-ski where the first rescue swimmer had been maintaining a degree of control of it.
“They were then able to wrestle the surf-ski to the stern of the rescue craft where our deck crew were able to assist in recovering the surf-ski onto the rescue craft where it was secured (made fast).
“Despite the casualty craft being secured to the stern, during the return leg our crew had to hold onto the surfski to prevent it from being swept off and blown away by the fierce winds and by the tumultuous seas.
"The surf-skiers, both local adult males and highly experienced extreme sport surf-skiers, are commended for having and using our free NSRI SafeTrx app on their phones.
”This,while participating in this extreme sport activity, where what appears to have been a broken rudder cable, rough seas and strong winds, that may have all contributed to their getting into difficulties.
Cape Argus