It was a call for two fishermen who sustained injuries in two separate incidents at Yzerfontein Harbour on Tuesday (27 September).
The NSRI Station 34 Yzerfontein crew were called to assist at approximately 06:40, when a fisherman was injured during a fishing craft’s launch at the harbour slipway.
According to NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon the fisherman apparently jumped from the vessel during apparent complications in the launching of the fishing craft, sustaining injuries.
“The local fisherman was brought to the NSRI’s rescue base’s first-aid room, where the Western Cape Government Health Emergency Medical Services (EMS) were also activated,” he said.
Lambinon added that paramedics and a local Yzerfontein doctor medically treated the man in the NSRI first-aid room before he was taken into the care of EMS paramedics and transported to hospital by EMS ambulance in a stable condition.
A few minutes later, about 07:15, while at the NSRI rescue station at Yzerfontein harbour the institute’s medics, its local Yzerfontein doctor and EMS paramedics attended to a 38-year-old local fisherman, who had been brought to the base for medical treatment.
“We believe while fishing from a boat at Dassen Island he had reportedly been struck by the fin of a whale,” Lambinon said.
He said the man was stabilised by medical personnel at the NSRI Yzerfontein rescue station first aid room before being transported to hospital by EMS ambulance in a stable condition.
