A 14 year-old boy drifted out to sea yesterday afternoon offhsore of the Strand in the Gordons Bay area was rescued by a fshing boat after the motor of his jetski failed.
A swimmer tried to swim out to rescue him but the sea was too rough and the boy drifted further out in the ocean.
Alan Meiklejohn, NSRI Gordons Bay duty coxswain, said at 4.55 pm volunteer sea rescue duty crew were activated by the Transnet National Ports Authority following eye-witness reports of a jet-skier being swept out to sea off-shore of Die Poort, Strand.
A teenager from Wetton was on the jet-ski that appeared to suffer motor failure. A man attempted to swim after the teenager but in the rough seas, with strong off-shore winds, the swimmer abandoned the attempt and returned to shore.
A lady in a beach front block of flats, who was witnessing the unfolding events, alerted NSRI.
“Our NSRI Gordons Bay volunteer sea rescue duty crew launched our sea rescue craft Spirit Of Surfski and on arrival on-scene, 1 nautical mile off-shore, we found a local fishing boat had already rescued the teenager onto their boat,” Meiklejohn said.
It was decided to leave the teenager stay on the fishing boat, which brought him safely ashore at the Die Poort slip-way where his anxious family members were waiting.
The sea rescue craft towed the jet-ski further out to sea out of the wave line and then secured it to the sea rescue craft which took it to shore. The teenager was uninjured and his father expressed sincere gratitude to everyone involved.
NSRI commended the fishing boat owners and the lady who alerted the NSRI.
Source NSRI
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