Notices
The CWR squad was activated on Friday 22 March after reports received of a drowning in progress at McArthur pool area in the sea. On arrival it was established that the person had successfully been retrieved and no further assistance was required, and a stand down was issued to the squad.
On Sun 17 Feb the CWR squad was activated at 16:44 after receiving reports of a missing person at the Sundays River Mouth. On arrival, it was established that a group of men was swimming in the mouth when several of them got into trouble. All of the group, except one person managed to make it was to land, at which time they called for assistance.
A water search was immediately started, but after no success, it was called off due to dangerous conditions and fading light hour an hour of searching, and the scene was handed over to the SAPS.
Services on Scene:
Coastal Water Rescue, NSRI Station 6, Beach Office, BWBLSC Rescue, SAPS, SAPS Divers
On Sunday 11 Feb the CWR squad was activated following reports of an incident in the Swartkops river. A group of 10 boys were playing in the shallows on a piece of polystyrene using it as a makeshift raft when they fell off. 8 of the boys made it to shore, the 9th one was in trouble but was pulled out by them leaving the 10th still in the water and missing.
Arriving on scene the CWR squad was joined by members of the BWBLSC, Beach Office and Fire Department and formed a search party. The water depth at some places hampered the search efforts, and after searching for about an hour the scene was handed over to the SAPS Divers to perform an underwater search, which was not successful and is ongoing.
Services on scene: Coastal Water Rescue, Beach Office, Fire Department, SAPS S&R, SAPS Divers, SAPS Sector Vehicle, EMS & Gardmed.
Today at 10:28 the Coastal Water Rescue squad was activated after receiving a report from the Water Emergency Rescue Committee that there was a drowning in progress at Maitlands Beach.
En route to Maitlands further information was received that there were two patients , both out of the water and but that one patient was unresponsive and CPR was in progress.
As the location was approximately 200m from the demarcated swimming beach 4x4 vehicles were required to access the area. On arrival the first CWR squad members immediately started to assist the lifeguards with CPR, with one vehicle being used to assist Gardmed Medics and Paramedics to get to the scene.
Unfortunately, despite the extensive CPR effort, the rescuscitation not successful.
Services on Scene: Coastal Water Rescue, NMB Lifeguards, Beach Office, SAPS Kabega Park, EMS, Gardmed Ambulance Service and Netcare 911
Coastal Water Rescue activated the squad today at 13:59 following reports of a drowning incident at the Redhouse Yacht Club. A small group of people were fishing and two of them went into the water. One of them got into trouble and drowned despite attempts from his friend to assist him.
A surface search was done by swimmers from CWR and BWBLSC, with craft from BWBLSC and the Beach Office assisting.
The scene was handed over to the SAPS Divers, who after an underwater search located the drowning victim.
Services on Scene: Coastal Water Rescue, BWB Surf Lifesaving Club, SAPS Sector Vehicle, SAPS Divers, Beach Office
This afternoon at 16:55 Coastal Water Rescue activated the squad following reports from a bystander at Beachview that there were two people on a river canoe that had capsized, and that one was still in the water. This information was given through to the Water Emergency Rescue Committee to activate the other emergency services.
On arrival by the first members it was established that they went paddling in the sea in a river canoe and capsized. They managed to make it back over the rocks, but immediately left the scene.
The canoe was impounded and will be handed over to the SAPS.
Services on scene: Coastal Water Rescue, NSRI, Beach Office, SAPS Divers, Seaview NHW.
Coastal Water Rescue squad members responded to New Brighton beach at 7:40 this morning after reports that a swimmer had gone missing.
According to bystanders, they noticed a single swimmer in the water, and he was waving for attention but shortly after that disappeared from view.
Jetskis from BWB Surf Lifesaving Club and the Beach Office were deployed to search but were not successful, with the CWR members remaining on standby to enter the water should the need arise.
The Coastal Water Rescue squad was activated at 21:12 last night to assist with a search of the Beachview area after reports were received that there were two missing people after their kayak capsized.
Full report from the NSRI below:
At 21h06, Saturday, 22nd December, NSRI Station 6 Port Elizabeth were alerted to reports of a father and son missing in the sea at Beach View.
It appears that the father, 35, his son, 10, from Beach View, and his nephew, 16, from Algoa Park, launched a canoe to go fishing in calm seas at approximately 18h00. Their craft is believed to have capsized at around 19h00 about half a kilometer off-shore and the teenager swam to shore at 20h15 and ran home to raise the alarm.
The missing man’s wife and her sister went to the scene to start a search and they located the canoe washed ashore and they raised the alarm.
The Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) Water Rescue Network were activated.
NSRI Port Elizabeth duty crew launched the sea rescue craft JLK Rescuer and a sea rescue vehicle, officers from the NMB Beach Office, members of Coastal Water Rescue and the SA Police Services responded.
Local Community Police Forum members joined the search.
Up to 50 people were deployed in this search effort.
Telkom Maritime Radio Services alerted all ships in the area to keep a look out and a Chokka fishing boat came in from fishing grounds and conducted sweeping line search patterns that were joined by the NSRI sea rescue craft with the 2 craft conducting coordinated sweeping line search efforts at sea and an extensive shore patrol was conducted.
The canoe and fishing gear were recovered from the shoreline.
It is believed that they were not wearing life jackets.
Despite an extensive sea and shoreline search along 3 km of coastline and 1 kilometer out to sea no sign of the father and his son has been found and a Police Dive Unit will continue in an ongoing search operation.
Calm sea conditions and a full moon aided an extensive search operation.
The Chokka fishing boat is commended for the extensive search effort assisting NSRI.
Police have opened an investigation and thoughts are with the family in this difficult time.
A Police Dive Unit will continue in an ongoing search and a Police K-9 Search and Rescue Unit, Police Sea Borderline and Coastal Water Rescue are on the scene assisting in a continuing search.
