A man drowned and another was rescued after they were swept out to sea while swimming at St Francis Bay on Sunday afternoon.
The National Sea Rescue Institute also commended a local surfer known only as "AJ" who grabbed an NSRI pink rescue buoy and managed to get one man ashore.
NSRI St Francis Bay duty coxswain, Garth Shamley, said that duty crew were activated at 12.30pm following eye-witness reports of two men being swept out to sea at Grannies Pool.
He said they launched their rescue craft Spirit of St Francis II with NSRI rescue swimmers while the SAPS and Private Care ambulance services responded.
"On arrival on the scene the local surfer, known to only as AJ, had managed to get one of the men safely to shore with the use of the pink rescue buoy," Shamley said.
"During a search, the second man was located and recovered from the surf by two local surfers, friends of AJ, and NSRI rescue swimmers. He was brought onto the beach where NSRI medics and an NSRI doctor initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) efforts, but after all CPR efforts were exhausted he was declared dead," he said.
Shamley said the NSRI extended condolences to the dead man's family and friends.
"The NSRI also commended the efforts of the surfer AJ, who went to the men's aid and was able to use the pink rescue buoy to successfully rescue one of the men," Shamley said
- African News Agency (ANA)
