A massive search was conducted last night for a SANParks ranger and an intern who were swept out to sea after their dinghy apparently hit a rock near Bird Island.
NSRI spokesperson, Craig Lambinon, says the men, who are stationed at Bird Island, went out to do boat checks in the afternoon when they hit a rock, causing the motor to fall off.
He says while retrieving the motor, their cellphone fell into the sea and they were unable to raise the alarm.
However, Lambinon says colleagues on shore spotted them frantically trying to row to shore, but the wind was too strong.
A search was launched after sunset. Lambinon says the NSRI stations in Port Elizabeth and Port Alfred ans well as the crew of another SANParks vessel took part. "They were found at about midnight, four nautical miles off Bird Island," Lambinon says. They were treated for mild hyperthermia after being in the boat for about seven hours.
