Cape Town – In a dramatic rescue operation on Saturday afternoon, a 41-year-old fisherman was trapped under a boulder in a shallow rock pool gulley.
The incident took place at Noetzie beach in the southern Cape.
With the combined efforts of the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Knysna, Police Search and Rescue, EMS rescue paramedics, and other emergency services, the angler was successfully rescued and airlifted to the hospital the following morning.
The rescue operation was set into motion when NSRI Knysna received a call from a resident of Knoetzie who had been informed by a car attendant about an injured angler in the area. The exact location and condition of the angler were uncertain, but it was reported that a boulder had fallen on top of him, leaving him trapped, NSRI said.
“Neither the location nor the medical condition of the injured man was known, other than it was in the vicinity of Knoetzie, and that it appeared, from the information, that a bolder had fallen on top of the angler which had pinned him down.
In the interim, NSRI Knysna immediately activated all necessary resources, including rescue swimmers, a rescue vehicle, and emergency services such as the Western Cape Government Health EMS, Knysna Fire and Rescue Services, SA Police Services, and Police Search & Rescue.
The EMS/AMS Skymed rescue helicopter was also put on standby, and the NSRI rescue craft JayTee IV was launched to conduct a shoreline search.
“On arrival of the rescue crew at Knoetzie the car attendant who had been sent to find the fisherman returned and he was able to provide an update on the condition and the location of the casualty.
Communication during the rescue operation proved challenging due to the lack of cell phone signal at Knoetzie.
However, the determination of the rescue crews prevailed. A local resident and Search & Rescue pilot, Greg Johnsson of Savanna Helicopters, was requested to assist. Eventually, the crew onboard the NSRI rescue craft spotted smoke from a fire started by the car attendant to attract attention.
The rocky and treacherous terrain posed significant difficulties, but three NSRI rescue swimmers were deployed from the rescue craft. They swam medical equipment on a floating stretcher to the shoreline and hiked along rocks to reach the injured fisherman. The swimmers assessed the man’s condition, treated him for hypothermia and injuries, and secured him onto a backboard to carry him away from the rising tide.
As darkness fell, a decision was made to leave two EMS rescue paramedics with the patient for the night, as it was too dangerous to continue carrying him through the hazardous terrain. The EMS/AMS Skymed Helicopter would be dispatched at first light on Sunday morning.
At dawn, the EMS/AMS Skymed rescue helicopter arrived, and the patient was carefully hoisted into the aircraft using a specialized stretcher. After receiving further medical care on Knoetzie Beach, the angler was airlifted to the hospital in a stable condition.
On Sunday, two NSRI rescue craft, Eileen Medway and Katharin, returned to the scene to recover equipment from the seaside, concluding the operation.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
