Hero fisherman braves cold seas in night rescue
The heroic efforts of a modest subsistence fisherman who dove into the ocean in freezing waters led to a midnight swimmer's life saved at a Durban beach on Saturday night.
SUBSISTENCE fisherman, Attie Venter may have saved a man’s life at Battery Beach over the weekend, but he modestly laughs about being dubbed a hero.
Attie and his fishermen friends were fishing at the pier close to Battery Beach on Saturday night when they noticed a man going into the water. “It was after 10.30pm and the guys and I were wandering what he was up to. We saw him come along the pier then go into the water and shouted out to him, warning him that the water was freezing and dangerous, but he didn’t respond or take notice of our warning and then we lost sight of him,” he explained.
The fishermen knew the man was heading for disaster and one of them, Timothy Daniels Reddy, alerted security as there were no lifeguards around at that hour.
Attie said he saw the man suddenly reappear in the water more than half an hour later, this time on the other side of the pier and quite deep in. “We heard him shouting and battled to see him, as it was so dark but his hands were in the air.
I didn’t think too much about it and told my friends I’m going to try and save him. I went down to the beach changed into my shorts and got into the freezing water. It took me a while to get to him, but I managed to get through the rough current . When I reached him he was panicking and I had to tell him not to struggle but just float on his back so I could swim and help him out the sea,” the fisherman said.
When they finally managed to get to the shore, it was close to midnight and the Fire Department was waiting for them. “The man was okay. He was just in a state of shock but thanked me. I didn’t have my phone so I didn’t even get his name. I was cold and exhausted and just wanted to go home,” Attie said.
The Johannesburg-born fisherman only moved to Durban three months ago, to create a living selling his freshly caught fish after moving from Saldanha Bay where he was a deep sea fisherman for many years.
“It’s a good feeling to save someone’s life. I know I took a risk and I was scared because it was so cold and the current was strong, but I couldn’t leave him there, time was running out and there was no option but try to help.
“Unfortunately I don’t know his name, I’m just glad I was there and my friends noticed him because nobody would have even noticed him get into the sea and he would not have survived because he was really tired and struggling by the time I got to him.
Reddy said, while they were a bit nervous for their friend rushing to save the man, they knew he was a strong swimmer. “One morning, about a month ago we witnessed a canoeist fall out of his canoe and get trapped in a North easterly spring tide. The pier was obstructing him from the lifeguards sight, so we went down to alert them and he was saved,” added Reddy.
