Three children were rescued from rip currents at Monwabisi Beach after National Sea Rescue Institute crews happened to spot them while returning from an earlier emergency call.
Nicolette Whitehead, NSRI Strandfontein station commander, said the on-duty team was called out at 16:34 on Monday 21 September after reports of a drowning happening at Monwabisi Beach in False Bay, Cape Town.
The call-out
NSRI rescue swimmers went straight to the beach while the crew launched the NSRI rescue boat, Rotarian Wares, from the NSRI satellite station at Monwabisi.
The City of Cape Town water rescue network was alerted. The police, Western Cape government emergency medical services, Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service and City of Cape Town Law Enforcement all responded.
Searching for the original incident
Unconfirmed reports suggested a drowning had taken place at Monwabisi Beach about half an hour earlier. Rescue teams tried to find where the incident was happening but could not locate anyone in trouble. The person who raised the alarm could not be reached.
During the search, bystanders came forward and said a woman who appeared to have been caught in rip currents — strong currents that pull water out to sea — had been helped out of the water by unidentified bystanders. The woman had since left the beach.
With no one found in distress or needing medical help, the call was called off and rescue teams began heading back to base.
Chance rescue
As the NSRI rescue boat was returning to shore, the crew noticed three children swimming nearby in shallow surf. They appeared to be caught in rip currents and were being swept off their feet and pulled out to sea.
The rescue boat changed course to reach them and recovered all three local children — two boys aged 10 and 11, and a 13-year-old girl.
They were brought to shore safely. None were injured and they were taken into the care of their parents. No further assistance was needed.
Whitehead said it still could not be confirmed whether the original incident that prompted the call-out had taken place. She said the NSRI was grateful that the crew, emergency services and rescue boat were on hand when the children got into difficulty, preventing a possible drowning by chance.
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