Child saved from drowning in Thompson’s Bay tidal pool

What started as a fun afternoon at Thompson’s Bay in Ballito quickly turned into a nightmare for nine-year-old Ayanda Makhoba and her family.

Ayanda – who hails from Driefontein – was swimming in the tidal pool when she began to struggle in water deeper than she had anticipated.

Ayanda’s mother, Nobuhle said that it all happened so quickly.

“I turned around for a minute and when I looked again, lifeguards were busy pulling my daughter’s unresponsive body from the pool,” said a visibly distressed Nobuhle.

KDM lifeguard supervisor Bongani Xulu told The Courier that young children often don’t realise that when the tide comes in, it raises the level of the tidal pool as well.

“The lifeguards on duty noticed a young girl struggling in the pool and immediately sprang into action,” said Xulu.

“When they got her out of the water she was unresponsive and they began to perform CPR, contacting both myself and IPSS Medical Rescue.”

The lifeguards managed to get vital signs back before IPSS advanced life support members arrived and took over, intubating Makhoba.

“We have put her on a ventilator and will transport her to Stanger hospital,” said IPSS’s Paul Herbst as Makhoba was being loaded into the ambulance.

Onlookers at the beach were impressed by the fast reaction of the lifeguards and the rapid response of IPSS, which certainly saved Makhoba’s life.

>>> For ideas of things to do this holiday check out Holiday Vibes.

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