Quick thinking and teamwork by three bystanders saved a Polish tourist from drowning when he got into difficulty at Jabula Beach in northern KwaZulu-Natal on Monday.
National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) St Lucia station commander Melinda Snyman said a bystander raised the alarm about the drowning just after 1.30pm.
She said the crew found the Polish tourist had been rescued by a safari tour guide, Reuben van der Nest, who noticed that the man was in distress in the water, appearing to be caught in rip currents while snorkelling in the surf zone.
Van der Nest searched the beach for the NSRI pink rescue buoy pole, but it was without the flotation device, believed to have been taken in a recent theft.
A family on the beach at the time had located a 2m-long wooden log and handed it to Van der Nest to use as an impromptu flotation device. Assisted by another unidentified man from the tourist group, they were able to rescue the Polish man and bring him safely to the beach, using the wooden log.
“NSRI medics attended the scene where the patient was medically evaluated, and it was determined that he was not injured and he required no further assistance,” said Snyman.
NSRI commended the actions of all involved in assisting and rescuing the tourist.
“Their combined efforts contributed to saving the Polish man’s life. NSRI is appealing to the public not to remove pink rescue buoys from their poles unless intending to use the rescue flotation pink buoy in a critical life-saving emergency.”
TimesLIVE
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