Weekend of High Stakes Rescues for NSRI Along South African Coastline

In a series of rescue incidences marking the last weekend of August, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) was called into action in several locations along the South African coastline. The NSRI teams in Wilderness, Mossel Bay, and Gqeberha performed exceptionally well under high-pressure situations, coordinating smoothly with different emergency services.

Near George, the Wilderness rescue team responded to an alert about a 50-year-old local fisherman who sustained significant injuries after falling approximately 10 meters down a ledge at Gwaing. The steep and treacherous terrain made the area barely accessible, requiring combined efforts from ER24 ambulance services, George Fire and Rescue Services, and an EMS/AMS Skymed rescue helicopter. After carefully stabilizing the injured man, an airlift was the only viable option. The individual was subsequently hoisted into a rescue helicopter and transferred to a hospital for further treatment.

Elsewhere, in Mossel Bay, a fisherman's fall overboard led to a rapid midnight activation of the NSRI crew. The man was rescued from the water in the harbor by his colleagues and treated for hypothermia. An additional incident alerted NSRI to a potential person in distress, after reports of cries for help at the Mossel Bay Yacht Club. After an extensive search yielded no results, and with no reports of missing persons, the incident remains under observation.

The professionalism of NSRI Mossel Bay was also witnessed a few days earlier when they helped to secure an unmanned sailing yacht that had broken from its moorings.

In Gqeberha, coordination with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) became crucial in the medevac of two Filipino seafarers. Upon rendezvous with their vessel, the NSRI crew provided swift transfer and hospitalization of the injured men. Tragically, in a separate incident, efforts to resuscitate a Russian seafarer were in vain, as the individual was declared deceased despite the NSRI and emergency services' best efforts.

Through these varied and challenging emergencies, the NSRI has once again demonstrated its critical role in ensuring maritime safety and conducting successful rescue operations in South Africa.