A teenager died and three are missing after a group of friends got into difficulties in rip currents at Rocklands beach, off Sea Point in Cape Town, on Sunday.
National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) spokesperson Craig Lambinon said the alarm was raised just after 2pm about a drowning in progress.
Three NSRI rescue craft, police, fire and rescue, a helicopter and emergency medical services were activated.
A bystander swam out to help the four, but got into difficulty and had to be rescued by a surfer.
Lambinon said three surfers were able to reach a 15-year-old boy from Burundi and an NSRI rescue swimmer swam out to them. A sea rescue craft arrived shortly thereafter and the patient, three surfers and the rescue swimmer were brought to shore.
“Despite extensive CPR efforts, he was declared deceased.”
Police divers were scheduled to continue the search for the three missing swimmers.
In a separate incident at Wilderness, between George and Knysna, a 49-year-old man from Sedgefield was injured after crashing his paraglider on a rocky beach.
NSRI Wilderness deputy station commander Mike Vonk said other paragliders had landed nearby and were assisting the man.
Vonk said paramedics arrived and stabilised him, before transporting him to hospital.
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