It was a day of high drama on Wednesday afternoon when a father and his 11-year-old daughter were pulled out to sea in a fierce rip current at Herold’s Bay along the Garden Route.
Thankfully – and also with the help of the NSRI’s famous pink rescue buoys – help quickly arrived in the form of three young quick-thinking swimmers and other role-players who managed to get the 36-year-old man and his child out of harm’s way.
But it was not an easy feat.
NSRI Wilderness station commander Mike Vonk said it appeared that the young girl was caught up in rip currents when her father braved the water and went in to try and help her – however, both of them ended up in trouble.
Vonk said the Wilderness duty crew was immediately activated by eyewitnesses.
He said it is also when 18-year-old Hartenbos Lifesaving lifeguard Ian Barnard grabbed an NSRI pink rescue buoy, that is stationed at the beach, and swam out to assist.
“Reaching the two casualties, he handed them the pink buoy to aid them to stay afloat, while he attempted to calm them and prevent panic,” Vonk said in a statement.
Ian said the dad, in his panic, had desperately tried to climb onto him, while the girl used the pink buoy to stay afloat.
“Realising the grave danger they were all facing in the strong rip currents, Ian had no choice but to retreat away from them [to seek additional help].”
Ian swam back to the beach where a bystander handed him a second pink rescue buoy.
By this stage Good Samaritans Steven Steyn, 19, a local surfer, and Corne Calitz, 26, had entered the water with their surfboards, Vonk said.
Meanwhile the dad and his daughter continued to be pulled out to sea.
“While Ian was readying to jump into the water from the rocks with second pink rescue buoy, Corne arrived with his surfboard.”
Vonk said between them they quickly devised a plan that Corne would first paddle back to rescue the daughter, while Steven would wait for assistance with the father holding onto his surfboard.
He said while Corne managed to successfully get the young girl to shallow water, her father and other rescuers had been pulled out further to sea and were struggling to make way in the breaking waves.
“They eventually managed to assist the father onto the rocks in the shallow water near the shore.”
Another Good Samaritan, Tristan van Wyk, 20, from George, had also entered the water to assist, and, by that stage, additional NSRI rescue swimmers, and emergency services were arriving on the scene.
“The two casualties were medically treated on the beach for non-fatal drowning symptoms and exhaustion. They were stabilised by paramedics and transported to hospital by ER24 ambulance, with the father in a critical but stable condition,” Vonk said.
He said another good Samaritan drove the mom, who was on the beach during the incident with her two other young children, to hospital.
The family is from Sandton in Johannesburg.
The NSRI has commended the swift reactions of Ian, Steven, Corne, Adam and Tristan, and everyone who contributed to lives being saved.
