Swift action by KwaDukuza lifeguards from Willard Beach saved the life of a man in his 60s, who was caught up in a riptide this morning.

At around 8.25am, 3 men swimming at the unguarded Boulder’s Beach, around 400m south of the Willard Beach lifeguard tower, got into difficulty.

“With waves pushing between 8 to 10 feet the swimming conditions were tricky,” said KwaDukuza lifeguard superintendent, Bongani Xulu.

According to eyewitness, Teagan Bremner, 2 of the men were able to make it back to the shore, while the third was washed out behind the rocks.

“I could see the man was really struggling. Every minute or so, he would get washed towards the rocks and then back out again.

With all the mussels, those rocks can be really dangerous,” she said.

Fortunately, 2 lifeguards at the Willard Beach tower – senior lifeguard Sipho Sokhulu and pro lifeguard Justin Mthembu – noticed the incident unfold and acted immediately.

“The guys put their lives at risk and did not hesitate to jump into the water to save the man. They had to make the difficult decision to come back over the rocks, leaving all 3 with cuts and bruises,” said Xulu.

Paramedics responded and stabilised the man before taking him to hospital.

“The KwaDukuza Municipality’s executive director of community safety, Cecil Viramuthu called to congratulate the boys. I am also very proud of the way they reacted.

They are bumped and bruised but in high spirits following the rescue,” said Xulu.

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