A surfskier has been rescued after activating an NSRI SafeRTrx emergency distress from his smartphone.
Simonstown, South Africa (30 August 2024) – Simon McDonnel, the NSRI Simonstown station commander, shared that thanks to the use of the NSRI SafeTrx app, they were able to rescue a surfskier in distress.
At 10h38, Monday, 26 August, the NSRI Simonstown duty crew were activated by NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) following an NSRI SafeTrx emergency distress activation from a local male surfskier off-shore of Millers Point, near Simonstown.
His phone could send an emergency signal before the battery died, meaning the right people knew he needed help, and they had a good idea of the area to start looking!
The NSRI Coastwatchers started scouring the coastline while a CMR (Cape Medical Response) rescue vehicle, in the vicinity of Millers Point at the time, searched along the coastline towards Simonstown.
“The NSRI SafeTrx pings were lost at that stage and calls to the man’s cellphone indicated the cellphone was off.
It remains unclear what caused this.Then NSRI received a call from the man’s wife indicating that he was in distress in the vicinity of Roman Rock Lighthouse.
Our NSRI Simonstown crew, arriving at our NSRI Simonstown station 10 rescue base, launched our rescue craft Donna Nicholas while the rescue craft Jack&Irene was prepared to be launched.
Sea conditions were rough with limited visibility – no signs of the man could be detected from high vantage points along the coastline by our coast watchers, CMR paramedics or NSRI crew, raising concerns for the man’s safety, and with no further pings from his NSRI SafeTrx and with his phone going to voicemail.
During a search the man was found approximately 1 nautical mile South of Roman Rock Lighthouse.
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NSRI rescue swimmers were deployed into the water and they swam the man to the rescue craft and he was safely recovered.
The surfski was recovered.”
Once the man was rescued, the team learned that his paddle had broken, causing him to be unable to keep balance on the surf ski with only one-half of the paddle. He drifted, holding onto the surf ski, when his cell phone went blank for unknown causes.
The man was treated for hypothermia and then collected by a friend with no further help needed. A happy ending indeed thanks to the app.
The NSRI RSA SafeTrx application allows for seafarers and inland water sports enthusiasts to log their trip details and estimated time of arrival, and to share their location with NSRI and Maritime authorities in the event of an emergency. The app also provides real-time weather updates, making it an essential tool for anyone planning a trip on the water.
They are urging all in-shore seafarers to download the NSRI RSA SafeTrx application https://www.nsri.org.za/water-safety/safetrx/ and to use it every time they venture out onto the water. By taking advantage of this essential tool, you are helping to enhance your safety and peace of mind, and ensuring that emergency services can be alerted promptly in the event of an emergency.
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