- Two kite surfers rescued a fellow surfer who was unconscious and face-down in the water at Bloubergstrand Beach.
- The man was stabilised and taken to hospital after the dramatic rescue.
- Authorities are urging beachgoers to exercise caution, as incidents involving water safety continue to rise.
The quick thinking of two kite surfers resulted in the rescue of another kite surfer who got into difficulties in the water at Bloubergsstrand Beach yesterday afternoon. (Sunday 20 October).
This marks yet another life saved by beachgoers in recent months, highlighting the dangers of strong currents and unpredictable waters. The swift actions of the kite surfers, who spotted the struggling swimmer from a distance, brought relief to onlookers as the tense scene unfolded.
Community medics said the incident occurred late Sunday afternoon, to which their volunteers responded.
One related: “A kite surfer had got into difficulties and was rescued by two fellow kite surfers, who pulled him out of the water. Initially unconscious, he was stabilised and taken by ER24 to hospital. Thank you, Metro EMS and Disaster Risk Management for also being on scene.”
In a social media post Gavin de Klerk said he was the one who found the kite surfer in the water and brought him in.
“He was unconscious, face-down, when I found him,” the post said. “He was like this for probably around two minutes before I managed to get to his body. I’m not sure at what point it gets classified as drown. But he was lights out, face down in the water when I found him. While I was trying to pull him closer, to get to his safety release (because his kite was still connected), then he suddenly regained consciousness! He was heavily disoriented for quite some time (didn’t know where he was, who he was, that he wasn’t a turtle). During this ‘waking up’ stage he was also swallowing in a lot of water, because he was not upright (was like a flapping fish on its side). It took some time for him to react to my communication, and follow my instructions (maybe 5 minutes), because he was completely disoriented. While dragging him back, he was coughing uncontrollably, but not a normal cough, it was clear that he might also have water in the lungs. It was a scary situation,” the post reads.
Authorities are once again reminding beach visitors to exercise caution, especially as rescue incidents continue to rise.
“Please be careful when swimming in the sea and, remember, if you experience a medical emergency, call 087 230 0404,” Community Medics said.
