Sea rescue authorities have had their hands full over the festive season thus far, responding to several drownings and near-drownings since the start of the holidays.

Holiday-makers have been flocking to the beaches, but several tragic incidents have marred the festivities. In one such incident, a 13-year-old girl died, while a 12-year-old girl survived, after an outing to the Camps Bay tidal pool on 23 December.

The girls were part of a group from Khayelitsha, who were on an outing with childminders.

The NSRI and City of Cape Town lifeguards responded to reports of a drowning in progress just before 16:00 on the day, recovering both girls from the water, unresponsive. They immediately started performing CPR on the children, while the alarm was raised.

Emergency Medical Services, including Community Medics, Taurus Medical and Netcare 911 ambulance services, CoCT Law Enforcement and the SA Police Services responded.

The children were airlifted to hospital, with the 13-year-old in a critical condition. Sadly, despite efforts in the hospital to save the life of the child, she was declared deceased during the night by doctors.

On Christmas Day, a 36-year-old Fish Hoek man drowned, after jumping from rocks at Jagers Walk, near Fish Hoek Beach.

It was suspected that the man was drunk and ignored warnings from City of Cape Town lifeguards on duty.

The Safety and Security MMC JP Smith wrote on his Facebook page:

“Lifeguards warned a bather, suspected of being under the influence, not to dive off rocks into a shallow area. He insisted, but after not resurfacing, the lifeguards went in search. They recovered a body and immediately began CPR, but were unsuccessful.”

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In another drowning incident, on New Year’s Day, a 46-year-old man from Philippi drowned at Tableview Beach front, after he was caught in rip currents.

Numerous rescue organisations responded to the scene, just after 12h30.

On arrival, rescuers on the shoreline reported a father and daughter, using an NSRI pink rescue buoy had reached the man in the water, in the surf zone. The father was trained in lifesaving and the daughter is a former lifeguard.

The lifeguard’s rescue boat reached them in the surf zone and took the man onboard their rescue craft and he was brought to the shore – but he was unresponsive.

Despite efforts to resuscitate him, he was declared deceased.

Also on New Year’s Day, a 32-year-old man went missing in the water at the Olifants River Mouth, in Papendorp, along the West Coast.

Despite an extensive search, there remains no signs of the missing man.

Further away from Cape Town, at Gleniqua Beach near Glentana in Mossel Bay, a 24-year-old man from Johannesburg drowned on 26 December, after he was swept out to sea.

The man and a 6-year-old child—his nephew—were standing on a sandbank in shallow water when he stepped off and was caught in rip currents.

On arrival on the scene, the NSRI found that the child was safe on the beach after being rescued from the water by a Good Samaritan, and the child was not injured.

An NSRI Mossel Bay rescue swimmer, a Fire and Rescue Services rescue swimmer, and the Good Samaritan all launched into the surf, swimming in the direction where eyewitnesses pointed out the man in the water in the surf zone.

They reached him unresponsive in the water and they brought him to shore. Efforts to resuscitate him were however unsuccessful.

On the morning of 27 December, in Jeffrey’s Bay, a teenager drowned, while two others survived, after being swept away at Kabeljous River Mouth.

The NSRI commended a fisherman who rescued one of the teenagers, after casting his fishing line in the direction of the 13-year-old, who wrapped the fishing line around his wrist before being reeled to shore by the fisherman.

Sadly, his 19-year-old friend, who was retrieved from the water was declared deceased, while a third teenager self-rescued, and was not injured.

Outside of the province, in Kwazulu Natal, an 18-year-old boy is presumed drowned after he went missing in the surf at Sea Park Beach in Port Shepstone.

Meanwhile, in non-ocean related drownings, a child drowned while swimming in the water at the Swartkops River Bridge in Gqeberha, near the N2 Freeway. Two of his friends were able to get out of the water but their friend went under the water and his body was later retrieved.

At Hartbeespoort Dam, the body of a man was recovered on Christmas Day, after he reported missing the day before. He had been fishing from a canoe amongst thick Hyacinth plants, in the vicinity of Kosmos, when it is presumed he got into difficulty.