NSRI Simon’s Town Responds to Three Separate Incidents: Two Children Hospitalised and Three Adults Rescued

Darren Zimmerman, NSRI Simons Town station commander, said: At 12h43, Saturday, 27 December, NSRI Simons Town duty crew and CMR (Cape Medical Response) were activated following reports of a drowning in progress at Millers Point Beach.

The NSRI Simonstown rescue vehicle, with NSRI rescue swimmers, and a Cape Medical Response (CMR) ambulance and rescue paramedic, were diverted to respond to the scene.

The CoCT (City of Cape Town) water rescue network was alerted - Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services, DRM (Disaster Risk Management) and CoCT Law Enforcement responded.

On Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services arriving first on the scene - they confirmed that 2 casualties, both female children, were safely out of the water.

Fire paramedics treated the 5 year old female, from East Ridge, and the 8 year old female, from Hanover Park, - both suffering non-fatal drowning symptoms and they were joined by paramedics providing additional medical care to the 2 children.

Both children were transported to hospital by CMR ambulance in stable conditions - both are expected to make full recoveries.

It appears that the 2 children were reportedly floating on a small lilo that appears to may have deflated in the water.
We believe that family members had tried to rescue the 2 children when 3 bystanders - 2 adult males and an adult female - Good Samaritans, were able to rescue the 2 children from the water and tafter rescuing the 2 children from the water they reportedly initiated CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) efforts on the 5 year old when a pulse and spontaneous breathing was restored, when paramedics arrived and took over medical care to the 2 children.

NSRI commend the Good Samaritans for their efforts that contributed to saving the lives of the 2 children.

Earlier, at 09h40, NSRI Simons Town duty crew were activated following reports from NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) of an NSRI SafeTRX emergency activation indicating a surf-skier in distress in the vicinity of between Roman Rock Lighthouse and Fish Hoek.

NSRI EOC had attempted to call the lady surf-skier on her cell phone (the lady that activayted her SafeTRX emergency) but because of strong winds cell phone communications were not successful.

NSRI Simons Town duty crew launched the NSRI rescue craft Donna Nicholas and Jack & Irene while the NSRI Simons Town rescue crew at the NSRI Simons Town satellite station at Fish Hoek Beach, who were conducting routine training at the time, diverted the NSRI rescue craft JetRIB, Cerff Rescuer, to divert to respond to begin a search operation in the direction of the GPS co-ordinates provided by the NSRI SafeTRX emergency app.

The NSRI rescue craft JetRIB Cerff Rescuer located a man floating in the water and he was rescued onto the rescue craft.

It was confirmed that he had fallen out of his surf-ski and he was trying to swim to shore after his leash had snapped and his surf-ski had drifted away from him when a fellow surf-skier, a female, had happened upon him, finding him floating in the water, and she had activated her NSRI SafeTRX emergency - to raise the alarm.

The casualty adult man, from Durban, was brought to Fish Hoek Beach onboard the NSRI rescue craft Cerff Rescuer and he was medically checked by CMR (Cape Medical Response) paramedics and he was not injured and he required no further assistance.

His surf-ski remains missing at sea offshore between Fish Hoek and Simons Town.

The female surf-skier has been commended for raising the alarm.

On Friday, 26 December, at 13h15, NSRI Simons Town duty crew were activated following reports of 2 men on a small inflatable craft appearing to be in distress offshore of Millers Point.

Multiple eyewitnesses, including motorists on the coastal road, reported seeing the 2 men being blown out to sea - in the direction of Simons Town, from Millers Point, on what appeared to be a blow-up swimming pool inflatable craft.

The NSRI rescue craft Jack&Irene, at sea at the time conducting routine training exercises, diverted to respond towards the scene and located the 2 men a half a nautical mile offshore near to Murdoch Valley. 

They were both rescued onto the NSRI rescue craft and their casualty craft, appearing to be a supermarket blow-up inflatable fishing craft, was recovered.

They had launched earlier on the small inflatable craft to go fishing but were almost immediately caught in the strong South Easterly winds and they were unable to row back to shore against the wind.

The 2 men, aged 35 and 39, from Mitchells Plein, were not injured and they were reunited with their families and they required no further assistance.