Man saves late-night swimmer at Durban beach

060610 Brand spanking new… The lifesaver’s tower at South Beach, with the new beach pools, while Battery Beach, right, has had something of a facelift and, below right, Vetch’s beach has had a massive clean-up.Pictures: Brian Spurr

060610 Brand spanking new… The lifesaver’s tower at South Beach, with the new beach pools, while Battery Beach, right, has had something of a facelift and, below right, Vetch’s beach has had a massive clean-up.Pictures: Brian Spurr

Published Jul 11, 2016

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Durban - A Durban man rescued a swimmer in distress at Battery Beach at about 10pm on Saturday.

The NSRI said its Durban duty crew responded to reports from eThekwini fire and rescue services about a drowning in progress.

Paul Bevis, NSRI Durban coxswain, said the sea rescue station prepared to launch its craft while he went directly to the scene.

The eThekwini fire and rescue services and police search and rescue had already been activated.

Bevis said they were battling to spot the swimmer, but a local bystander, Attie Venter, who was believed to be in his forties, spotted the swimmer.

“He ran past me reporting that he could see the man in the surf, and swam out into the calm conditions while I donned my wetsuit to swim out to assist.

“The 31-year-old local man was found unjured. We suspect he had been wading in the shallow surf line when he was caught in a rip current and swept out to sea.”

Venter was commended by the NSRI for his selfless action in rescuing the swimmer.

A teenager drowned at Monwabisi Beach in Cape Town late on Sunday afternoon, the NSRI said.

Two NSRI sea rescue craft and rescue swimmers responded, along with various government rescue services.

“On arrival a search commenced for a 17-year-old male, from Khayelitsha, who went missing in the surf while swimming with his brother at the main beach at Monwabisi,” an NSRI spokesman said.

During a search the teenager’s body was spotted in the surf and recovered from the water by NSRI rescue swimmers.

They were unable to revive him.

The Mercury and ANA

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