Capsized boat survivor 'found air pocket'

One of three women trapped under a capsized boat in Hout Bay kept herself alive by pulling herself into a small cupboard, it was reported on Monday.

"There was a small place, like a cupboard, where the lifejackets were kept and there was an air pocket. The water was so cold I knew I must pull myself up in that space," Anna-Marie Wever told the Cape Times from her bed in an intensive care unit.

"There were two other women, younger. One was very anxious and was crying. It was difficult to breathe, not much air. I said listen to what I say and be calm."

The charter boat, carrying 39 people, capsized near Duiker Island on Saturday afternoon. British tourist Peter Hyett, 64, and crew member John Roberts, 37, drowned.

Wever told the newspaper a wave apparently broke over the stern, followed by the port engine stalling and then the starboard. Life jackets were handed out and the life raft was inflated. The boat apparently then flipped over.

Divers braved rough sea conditions to rescue the women trapped under the hull.

A formal investigation into the incident was underway.