Two Good Samaritans leapt into cold waters to rescue a swimmer swept up in a rip current; thanks to two pink buoys, their rescue was a success.
Hermanus, South Africa (11 September 2025) – Hermanus, with its famous whale-watching coastline and bustling Old Harbour, is no stranger to drama at sea. But on Saturday afternoon, it wasn’t a whale that captured the attention of bystanders, it was a local swimmer swept into the grip of a rip current.
What could have ended in tragedy quickly turned into a story of courage and community, thanks to the instinctive bravery of complete strangers.
At 13:53, NSRI Hermanus crews were out at sea on routine training when the call came through: a drowning in progress at the harbour. Two rescue craft were immediately dispatched, with NSRI’s rescue vehicle and paramedics from Western Cape Government Health EMS racing to the scene.
By the time they arrived, the 50-year-old woman was already back on shore, exhausted but alive, surrounded by bystanders and an Italian doctor who happened to be nearby. She was treated for non-fatal drowning symptoms before being transported to hospital, where she continues her recovery under the watchful care of doctors and nurses.
The story of how she got there is one worth retelling.
When the swimmer began struggling in the powerful pull of the current, a pink NSRI rescue buoy was thrown toward her, but it landed just out of reach. That’s when an unidentified woman, a true Good Samaritan, threw herself into the waves to get to the casualty.
Noticing the desperate situation unfolding, another bystander, a German man, newly relocated from the United States to Cape Town and visiting Hermanus for the weekend, grabbed a second pink buoy stationed nearby and charged into the surf. Together, the two strangers managed to reach the woman and secure her, guiding her safely back to shore where the doctor and other bystanders took over.
It was teamwork in its purest, most human form: strangers united by instinct and compassion, doing whatever it took to save a life.
Deputy station commander Lando Lombard of NSRI Hermanus commended their swift action, calling it life-saving. And in truth, it was.
Hermanus is celebrated for its natural beauty, but on Saturday, it was the beauty of human kindness that stood out. A reminder that in the most critical moments, ordinary people can become heroes sometimes without even knowing each other’s names.
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