An off-duty lifeguard witnessed a teen slip off the rocks at Bakoven beach and quickly sprang into action to save the teen’s life!
Cape Town, South Africa (19 July 2021) – Over the weekend, 16-year-old Tyra-Lee Penney, a Clifton Lifesaving lifeguard, witnessed a female teen lose her footing and fall off the rocks and into the ocean at Bakoven beach.
Tyra-Lee called the NSRI Bakoven emergency phone to alert them of the drowning in progress. The teen on the rocks had been swept into the rough sea. Tyra-Lee was off-duty at the time but acted swiftly to ensure the safety of the young woman in the water.
Once the call was made, Tyra-Lee and her boyfriend rushed to save the young woman. They were aided by several Good Samaritans present at the beach this past Sunday.
“NSRI Bakoven crew, SA Police Services and Camps Bay Security responded. Community Medics and ER24 ambulance services were placed on alert.
Tyra-Lee was instructed to keep eyes on the casualty and to run to the NSRI Bakoven sea rescue base to fetch the NSRI pink rescue buoy that is stationed there on the garage door and to throw the pink rescue buoy to the casualty.
Tyra-Lee complied while her boyfriend Ethan Klerck (16), from Rondebosch, ran to the scene to keep eyes on the casualty.
Two Good Samaritans, bystanders Wihan Koegelenberg (23), from Paarl, and Kyle Feldman (24), from Durbanville, were sitting on the rocks with their girlfriends when they were alerted by a passerby who told them that a girl was drowning.
They both ran to the area where they saw a female struggling in the rough seas in between rocks and her boyfriend was attempting to assist her but he was being hampered by the slippery rocks and rough seas.
Wihan and Kyle both entered the water and they were able to reach the girl and begin to swim her towards the rocks.
By that stage Ethan Klerck was on the scene and he threw the NSRI pink rescue buoy to them.
Between Wihan, Kyle, the casualties boyfriend, Tyra-Lee and Ethan, they were able to get the girl out of the water as NSRI Bakoven crew were arriving on the scene.
The casualty female, age 16, from Observatory, and her boyfriend, age 18, from Hout Bay, were both treated at the NSRI Bakoven sea rescue base for hypothermia and for bruises and lacerations sustained in their ordeal and following medical treatment they were released to family members who had been contacted to come to fetch them.
Wihan and Kyle both sustained injuries, scrapes, cuts and bruises, while assisting in the bystander rescue.
NSRI commend the swift response and the combined efforts of the casualty teenagers boyfriend and these Good Samaritans, Tyra-Lee Penney, Ethan Klerck, Wihan Koegelenberg and Kyle Feldman, that saved the teenager.”
The NSRI do incredible work in saving lives so if you would like to support them, you can do so using the methods below.
Ways you can help NSRI.
Financial – You can support the NSRI in several ways financially. To find out how via the website, here.
Pink Buoys – You can fund the instalment of a Pink Buoy on your local beach. This aids the NSRI in saving the lives of people in distress.