Bystanders rescue boy from drowning
The little boy had no injuries and was returned to his family.
A young local boy was rescued by two bystanders and a National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) station commander after being swept out about 100m to sea by rip currents at Rocky Bay last Tuesday afternoon.
The NSRI Rocky Bay station received reports of a child in difficulty in the water and its station commander, Kevin Fourie, scanned the ocean but could not see anyone in distress.
Mr Fourie contacted Umdoni Municipal lifeguards at the main beach who also searched the ocean, but could not see the child.
They were shortly informed that the boy was in the process of drowning in front of the Rocky Bay caravan park which is not protected by lifeguards, and upon hearing this, rushed off to the scene in an inflatable rescue boat together with Scottburgh Umdoni Municipal lifeguards.
When the team arrived at the scene, they discovered that two local men, Richard Gibson and Nick Bell, with the help of NSRI Durban station commander, Jonathan Kellerman, were able to use an NSRI pink rescue buoy and a bodyboard to save the child.
The little boy had no injuries and was returned to his family.
Rescuer Richard stated that without hesitation, he launched into the water and swam out towards the boy.
Before heading in, he asked his son to alert his friend Nick of what was going on.
Station commander Jonathan, who was at the beach with his family on holiday, soon realised what was happening, grabbed the rescue buoy and swam out to assist.
Nick followed behind him on a bodyboard.
In a combined effort and with the two floatation devices, the boy was brought to shore.
The NSRI commends all three men involved in the rescue and advises anyone who sees a person in difficulty to throw the pink rescue buoy to the casualty and alert the sea rescue emergency numbers that are displayed on the pink rescue buoy boards.
Pink rescue buoys are stationed around the country at beaches that are mostly unprotected by lifeguards.
Since the rescue buoys were introduced at beaches in 2017, NSRI has recorded 72 lives being saved by these floatation devices around the coastline.
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