LAST Sunday was a busy one for the NSRI Port Edward volunteer sea rescue duty crew, who were called to assist with four emergencies.
The first call came from Silver Beach at 5.30am. A Pretoria North man (23) suffered a fractured tibia and fibula when his leg was crushed by the boat, Al Kapitan, which he was helping to hold in shallow surf prior to launch.
The man was treated at the scene and was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition by Netcare 911 ambulance services.
At 9am the crew again visited Silver Beach where they treated a man whose hand had been penetrated by a fish hook while he was fishing aboard the boat Pumbaa. The Port Edward local (34) was taken to shore where NSRI medics treated the wound. The man went to hospital for further treatment.
In possibly the most serious case of the day, the crew treated an eight-year-old boy from Springs who suffered a severe head injury after hitting his head on rocks at Silver Beach. The child was taken to the Sea Rescue Port
Edward station and treated before being taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition by Netcare 911 ambulance services.
The eventful day drew to a close at 2pm when the crew aboard the sea rescue craft Discovery Rescue Runner and Wild Coast Sun Rescuer responded to assist a 26-year-old Port Edward man and a 50-year-old Pretoria man who reported their jet ski to be sinking 1.5 nautical miles off Port Edward. The men were rescued and brought to shore and the jet ski was recovered.
It appears that the jet ski had previously been in an accident and had been repaired. However, the fibreglass had separated from the repair, revealing a hole in the fuselage which caused the jet ski to fill with water and to start sinking.
