Cape Town – A 33-year-old man drowned at Bloubergstrand yesterday as scores of locals and visitors packed beaches across the Cape.
Safety and security mayoral committee member JP Smith said the man was pulled out of the water at about 2.45pm and after rescuers attempted CPR for half an hour, he was declared dead.
A Malawian man’s body was retrieved from the inland waters of Zandvlei in Muizenberg on New Year’s Eve.
Law Enforcement Inspector Wayne Dyason said the 33-year-old man was canoeing at around 3.30pm when his canoe overturned and he failed to resurface on Sunday. A search ensued.
NSRI Strandfontein station commander Vaughn Seconds said: “During a search operation by police divers, supported by NSRI Station 16 Strandfontein and Fire and Rescue Services divers, a police helicopter joined the search and shortly into the aerial search the crew on the helicopter spotted the body of the man underwater in the vlei.
“The body was recovered by divers and taken into the care of the Forensic Pathology Services,” Seconds said.
The family of the victim are being assisted by police trauma counsellors and police have opened an inquest docket.
Gordon’s Bay NSRI crew member Vincent Landman recounted his experience of a life saved using an NSRI pink rescue buoy at Dappat se Gat on New Year’s Eve.
“At 3.10pm, myself and friends were playing in the surf at Dappat se Gat. As an off-duty NSRI crew member I am always aware of tide rip currents and most of the dangers to look out for when it comes to matters of the sea.
“It caught my eye that two (adult men), appeared to be caught in rip currents.
“One man made it back closer to shore where he could stand in chest deep water and he was able to fight against the rip current. The second man was quickly heading out to sea caught in a strong rip current,” Landman said.
Friends of the man caught in the rip current told Landsman that the man was not a good swimmer and they were concerned for his safety. At that moment the man started to wave his arms for help.
“I grabbed my boarding fins and an NSRI pink rescue buoy that is stationed on a pole at that beach. Waves were in excess of six feet and rip currents had a strong side wash.
"I launched into the surf to go after the man and after an exhausting swim to the backline I reached him
“I gave him the NSRI pink rescue buoy and led him out of the rip current and we swam back to the shore together where he required no further assistance,” Landsman said.