Scelo Cele is being hailed a hero for saving a man from a rip current at Shelly Beach’s boat launch slipway.
Shelly Beach, South Africa (09 May 2024) – Good Samaritan and hero Scelo Cele of Shelly Beach Tower Control is commended for saving an adult man who was caught in rip currents at the boat launch slipway side of Shelly Beach on Tuesday the 7th of May.
Scelo, a former lifeguard at KZN South Coast Municipal Lifesaving and a former skipper at KZN Sharks Board, and his colleagues of the Shelly Beach Tower Control, were on duty (for boats that were coming and going at the slipway) when they heard shouts for help.
Looking out into the surf zone they saw an adult male, a local man, caught in rip currents and appearing to be in grave danger. He was being swept out to sea barely keeping his head above water.
Scelo grabbed a torpedo rescue buoy, that they keep in the control tower, and he rushed to the shoreline and leaped into the water – swimming after the man who was being swept out to sea. The casualty man appeared unable to get himself free out of the rip current.
Scelo used that same rip current to swiftly reach the casualty man – who had kept disappearing underwater while Scelo swam towards him as quickly as possible.
Scelo admits that the man tried at first to grab a hold of him to use him as flotation, but Scelo’s years of experience as a lifeguard instinctively took over.
Scelo passed the man the rescue torpedo buoy while encouraging him to tread water, use the torpedo buoy for flotation, and lie backwards to stay afloat. Scelo then secured the man and calmed him down.
Once the man realised that he was floating with the rescue torpedo buoy in his hands, the situation calmed immensely.
Colleagues had by that stage called NSRI Shelly Beach and Netcare 911 ambulance services.
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Occasionally, the man, fearing for his life, let go of the flotation rescue torpedo buoy, but each time, Scelo reassured him before finally swimming alongside the man (next to him) while the man held onto the flotation torpedo buoy.
When they reached the beach, local boaters, public members, and Scelo’s colleagues helped with the last few shallow meters to safely ashore the man.
The local man was treated for non-fatal drowning symptoms by Netcare 911 paramedics and he was transported to hospital by a Netcare 911 ambulance in a stable condition where he is recovering.
Scelo, the Shelly Beach Tower Control staff, and all who assisted are commended for saving this man’s life.
An NSRI pink rescue buoy just happened to be positioned at that same beach on Monday, 6 May, on an NSRI pole—this NSRI pink rescue buoy was sponsored by Umthunzi Hotel and Conference group.
Although Scelo did not need to use that particular NSRI pink rescue buoy, because they have their own rescue torpedo buoy in their control tower, they all agreed that it was nice to know that there was an extra rescue torpedo buoy on hand if it had been needed.
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