Notices
The Coastal Water Rescue squad was activated at 09:51 today following reports of a drowning in progress at North End Lake. Upon arrival, it was found that the incident had been reported late, and that the drowning had occurred between 20:00 and 21:00 the previous night.
SAPS Divers were on scene and prepared to perform an underwater search. After an extensive operation in challenging wind and rain conditions, they recovered the body of an adult male.
Coastal Water Rescue is staffed by volunteers and funded by donations. Can you help us? Please visit https://www.cwrescue.co.za/support-us for more info.
The Coastal Water Rescue squad was activated today at 13:02 following reports of an adult male missing in the surf at Cape Recife.
On arrival, squad members found that a family and a SAPS member had retrieved the casualty from the water. They placed him in the recovery position and requested medical assistance.
An ambulance from Metro EMS arrived on the scene, and CWR squad members assisted using our Stokes basket to move the casualty from the beach to the ambulance. He was showing signs of secondary drowning and was transported to hospital for further treatment.
Coastal Water Rescue is staffed by volunteers and funded by donations. Can you help us? Please visit https://www.cwrescue.co.za/support-us for more info.
The Coastal Water Rescue squad was activated at 02:25am Saturday morning, 15 February 2025, following reports of a drowning in progress in the Swartkops area. The exact location of the incident was initially unknown.
Upon arrival, the first responding squad members met with a SAPS vehicle on the bridge over the canals. Shortly thereafter, further information was received, directing the team to the open canals near the old Swartkops Power Station.
At the scene, squad members joined SAPS divers, EMS Rescue personnel, and an eyewitness. According to information provided, the casualty was last seen in the water near the Swartkops River, within a canal system that runs mostly underground beneath roads and railway lines.
To access the canal, a ladder provided by EMS Rescue was used to safely descend into the canal system. The Coastal Water Rescue squad then deployed the Ark Rescue Croc from the power station side to assist with the search efforts. After an extensive search, the team located the casualty, who was sadly found deceased some distance from the initial sighting. Squad members assisted SAPS divers with the recovery of the body.
Coastal Water Rescue is staffed by volunteers and funded by donations. Can you help us? Please visit https://www.cwrescue.co.za/support-us for more info.
Today at 15:15, the Coastal Water Rescue (CWR) squad was activated to respond to a reported drowning incident at Smelly Creek, near the M4 Lighthouse. Upon arrival, it was confirmed that a group of children had been playing in the water when one of them, a 10-year-old boy, encountered difficulties and was swept out to sea.
CWR squad members conducted a thorough visual search across a wide area while the Beach Office jetski team carried out an extensive water search in an attempt to locate the missing child. Despite their best efforts, the child was not found.
The squad has since stood down, and the scene has been handed over to the South African Police Service (SAPS), who will continue the search operation tomorrow morning.
Coastal Water Rescue is staffed by volunteers and funded by donations. Can you help us? Please visit https://www.cwrescue.co.za/support-us for more info.
[Beachview, 08 Feb 2025] – At 12:27 PM, the Coastal Water Rescue squad was activated following reports of a drowning in progress at Beachview.
Upon arrival, responders received further information that a 39-year-old male had gone over the wall of the tidal pool and was missing. Due to the challenging sea conditions at the time, it was not possible to deploy rescue swimmers into the open water and swimmers were only able to try and get a better view from within the tidal pool.
Squad members conducted extensive visual searches of the surrounding area; however, despite their best efforts, the individual could not be located. The scene was subsequently handed over to the SAPS Dive Unit, and the squad was stood down.
Coastal Water Rescue is staffed by volunteers and funded by donations. Can you help us? Please visit https://www.cwrescue.co.za/support-us for more info.
02 February 2025 – The Coastal Water Rescue (CWR) squad was activated at 06:41 on Sunday morning following reports of a drowning incident at BWB main beach. Initial information indicated that the casualty had been removed from the water and that CPR had been underway for approximately 30–35 minutes.
Upon arrival at the scene at 06:57, the first CWR responders immediately joined the BWBLSC with the ongoing resuscitation efforts by assisting with CPR and initiating airway management using a bag-valve mask (BVM). Shortly after, RelayEMS arrived on scene and assumed overall control of the CPR, while the CWR squad continued to provide BVM support.
Despite the combined efforts and prompt intervention by both teams, further checks performed by RelayEMS confirmed that resuscitation was unsuccessful. The casualty was declared deceased at 07:18.
The Coastal Water Rescue squad extends its condolences to the family and friends of the deceased and remains committed to providing rapid and effective emergency response in the community.
Coastal Water Rescue is staffed by volunteers and funded by donations. Can you help us? Please visit https://www.cwrescue.co.za/support-us for more info.
At 13:21 today, the Coastal Water Rescue squad was activated following a report from the Water Emergency Response Committee regarding a drowning in progress at Smelly Creek. Upon arrival, further information indicated that a 7-year-old child was in trouble and possibly caught in a rip current.
Due to the hazardous conditions, swimmers were not deployed into the water. NSRI Station 6 responded with their jet rib, Rescue 6B, to conduct a search; however, they were unable to locate the child.
Coastal Water Rescue is staffed by volunteers and funded by donations. Can you help us? Please visit https://www.cwrescue.co.za/support-us for more info.
