The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) is advising the public to take extra measures when visiting the seaside in the coming days ahead of the new moon Spring tide, Cape {town} Etc reports.
Also read: NSRI warns public amid hazardous sea conditions and rescues
The emergency rescue agency stated that this is due to severe weather, which has led in the SA Weather Service (SAWS) issuing an Orange Level 6 Warning for Damaging Winds across much of the Western Cape.
The NSRI warning comes only days before the new moon Spring tide, which peaks next week on 3 September, causing rough sea conditions that could endanger surf and shorelines.
‘The NSRI is appealing to the public to be cautious around the coastline with storms around the coast, along the Northern and Western Cape coastline and spreading up the East Coast. Extreme caution is advised,’ NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon.
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Along with its requests for the public to take caution when visiting beaches, the rescue organisation urged the public to download and use its safety app, the NSRI SafeRTrx.
The program, which is available on the iOS program Store and Google Play, allows users to send emergency warnings and serve as a locator device for rescue crews.
In a recent event, the NSRI duty crew in Simon’s Town rescued a surf skier who used the NSRI SafeRTrx to send out an emergency distress call.
According to NSRI Simonstown station commander Simon McDonnel, the EOC activated the NSRI duty crew on Monday, September 26, in response to an NSRI SafeTrx activation from a local male surf skier off the coast of Millers Point, near Simonstown.
‘NSRI Coastwatchers were alerted to start scouring the coastline while a CMR rescue vehicle, in the vicinity of Millers Point at the time, searched along the coastline towards Simonstown,’ McDonnell said. ‘The NSRI SafeTrx pings were lost at that stage, and calls to the man indicated his cellphone was off.’
‘It remains unclear what caused this. Fortunately, our team then received a call from the man’s wife indicating that he was in distress near Roman Rock Lighthouse.
‘The crew, arriving at our NSRI Simonstown station 10 rescue launched the rescue craft, Donna Nicholas, while the rescue craft Jack&Irene was prepared to be launched.’
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McDonnel stated that because to stormy water conditions at the time, the squad had restricted visibility and could not see the man from high vantage points along the beach.
‘Eventually, our team was able to spot the man approximately one nautical mile south of Roman Rock Lighthouse.
‘NSRI rescue swimmers were deployed into the water, and they swam the man to the rescue craft, and he was safely recovered. The man’s surfski was also recovered,’ he said.
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Picture: Esa Alexander / Gallo