Heroic rescuers save 4 off Ballito’s Clarke Bay

Four lives were saved off Clarke Bay on Sunday evening in a daring rescue by a good Samaritan and off-duty lifeguard Linda Hlophe.

At 17:30, husband and wife Keegan and Denisha Murrell and two of their extended family members got into trouble in the sea after enjoying what was initially a relaxed evening swim.

Originally from Durban, but now living in Knysna, Keegan says a riptide caught them off guard.

“It was just me and my wife at the start and it was very calm to begin with,” says Keegan.

“We were swimming comfortably and bodysurfing when suddenly we looked and thought, ‘we’re actually quite far out here’ and tried to get back in.”

That’s when the couple realised they might need help, as swimming back in proved difficult and they had been sucked out beyond the rocks on the northern side of Clarke Bay.

“My wife started to panic and I was struggling to get her back in… Suddenly it was quite a scary situation,” he says.

“Luckily a guy and his wife were walking on shore and saw us. They asked our family on the beach if we were okay and they told them that we were strong swimmers and should be fine.

“But the man used his intuition I guess, and came out to check on us anyway… By that point, we were already starting to get tired. I think he saved our lives.”

The three of them were able to get almost the whole way to shore, before being sucked out again. They were joined by two other family members who did not spot the danger and went to swim themselves.

It was at this point that Hlophe was called to help.

“My shift ended at 16:00 but I was waiting to be picked up by my wife and was in the car park when someone came and called me,” said Hlophe (44), a veteran KwaDukuza lifeguard who has been at Clarke Bay for the past five years.

“The man who called me said he thought there was just one person in trouble… When I looked, I also [only] saw one as it was getting dark.”

Hlophe grabbed a rescue board before paddling out. He then noticed that four people were in trouble, including the good Samaritan who had stayed with the Murrells.

“Unfortunately, with that many people I couldn’t get them on the board, so I told them to hold on to stay afloat while we waited for help,” said Hlophe.

“After a while, we decided we would need to get out of the situation ourselves and I told everyone to kick and paddle towards where we normally set up the bathing area.”

The group was eventually able to catch a wave to shore, with all four distressed swimmers, the good Samaritan and Hlophe avoiding harm.

They were checked by paramedics on shore but no one needed to go to hospital after what was ultimately about a one-hour ordeal.

“I just want to thank the guy who swam out to save us initially, Linda for all of his efforts and IPSS Medical Rescue [for] checking us when we got back,” says Keegan.

“The man’s wife also stayed with our family on shore and kept them calm, we sincerely appreciate everyone who helped us to avoid a really bad situation.”

Keegan has tried to track down the good Samaritan without success. He believes the man’s name is Michael and knows only that he recently completed a triathlon.