Beach contractor saves father and daughter from rip current at Brenton on Sea

A quick-thinking beach contractor armed with an NSRI pink rescue buoy saved a father and daughter from a rip current at Brenton on Sea on Saturday, moments before NSRI crews arrived.

At 1.15pm, Knysna's National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) was activated after eyewitnesses reported two people in distress in the surf, Station 12 commander Jerome Simonis said.

“Eyewitnesses reported two persons in distress in the surf zone caught in rip currents,” he said.

NSRI rescue swimmers and off-duty lifeguards raced to the beach while rescue craft JayTee IV and Katharine were launched. Police, ER24 and Western Cape Government Health EMS also responded.

When NSRI crews reached the shoreline, they found the two casualties, a 45-year-old father and his 17-year-old daughter, already out of the water. The pair, holidaying from Limpopo, had been rescued moments earlier by a Good Samaritan using the NSRI pink rescue buoy stationed at the beach.

According to Simonis, “They had both been rescued from the surf zone by a Good Samaritan man using an NSRI pink rescue buoy (stationed at the beach at Brenton on Sea).”

The father was semi-conscious and showing non-fatal drowning symptoms. “An NSRI doctor and NSRI medics administered medical treatment to the dad,” Simonis said. The daughter was uninjured.

Paramedics, police divers, additional NSRI crew and lifeguards joined the treatment effort. The father was stabilised and transported by ER24 to hospital in stable but serious condition, where he is recovering.

Simonis said: “Our thoughts and care are with the family at this time.”

The rescuer, a sand-castle contractor, had been working on the beach when he spotted the pair in trouble. “Without hesitation he grabbed the NSRI pink rescue buoy and launched into the water successfully rescuing the dad and daughter. He is commended for his efforts.”

The NSRI said pink rescue buoys, introduced in 2017 with municipalities and the public, are now credited with 228 lives saved. “No harm has come to a Good Samaritan using an NSRI pink rescue buoy during the execution of a bystander water rescue.”

Ahead of the weekend, Knysna Municipality urged beachgoers to take extra care amid strong rip currents linked to spring tides. It reminded residents to keep children supervised, avoid alcohol around water, and contact NSRI (082 990 5956) or Knysna Emergency Services (044 302 8911) in emergencies.

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Cape Argus