[PHOTOS] Capsized boat skipper praises heroic son (10)
“He loves adventure and the sea. He’s been diving since he was six-years-old, more so when he was eight.”
IT WAS like a scene out of a movie when Dave Ladell and his 10-year-old son, Troy, both experienced divers, almost drifted out to sea before the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) rescued them from their capsized boat off-shore of the Bluff on Saturday, 5 March.
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Tension was high on land as worried Bluffites watched the drama unfold but this turned to joy when the diving duo were saved. For Ladell senior, he has been in worse situations and did not panic. “I’m a commercial diver and I have been in situations far worse than this, and we knew NSRI would be there shortly. The way they handled a situation is totally professional and I don’t think I’ve seen that level of service and commitment by any business I’ve dealt with. They were all busy with their own crisis and the call came through and those on duty rushed to assist,” said Ladell.
NSRI rescuers might have been their saviour but his son, Troy was his hero. With a cool and collected attitude, the tiny adventurer who not only is a diver but also a tandem skydiver and a great swimmer, handled the situation. “He does really well in the water and our incident did not faze him. I think he was more worried about the gear we lost and the damage to the boat,” chuckled the father. “He loves adventure and the sea. He’s been diving since he was six-years-old, more so when he was eight.”
Speaking to the Sun, he described how the boat ended up overturning. “A rope got tangled in the propeller as we were making our way back home. When I lifted the motor to remove it the slither turned with the swell. I lifted the rope off the propeller and the boat went over as water came on back deck from swell,” said Ladell. His son climbed on to the hull them jumped off a few times to recover the equipment. “He was calm and did as he was taught. We tried to right the boat but decided it was more stable upside down as the easterly was picking up and we were drifting south. I showed him how to set off the flare,” said the proud father.
Once they attached an orange ID sheet to the hull, the father swam underneath the boat to fetch the water proof case with the phones. “We managed to get one last call to a friend in Nuquip to call sea rescue before it died,” he added. While waiting for help, they watched black-tip sharks circling the boat because of their catch and bait. They cut it loose and watch it drift away with the sharks. “Troy was fine with the sharks. When the coast was clear, I went back under with three anchors and a bow, setting one for 15m and one for 20m of water,” said Ladell. They drifted south until the anchor fouled in about 20m of water.
“I took this opportunity to teach my son about how to use the ID sheet by standing on the hull and try attract attention from shore. We had planned to hook up in 20m of water first. Then if needed, we would cut free and move to 15m and finally the last anchor would be to drift to backline throw emergency anchor and swim to shore. This was all a last resort,” he added.
But they knew the NSRI would be there shortly. While standing on the hull waiting, they turned around and NSRI was there. They picked up Troy in full diving kit and life jacket and helped Dave right the boat before towing them back to Durban Skiboat Club.
