National
Group rescued from Koegelbaai cove─── 05:17 Mon, 26 Jan 2015
Pringle Bay - Twenty one people trapped by an incoming tide have been rescued from a cove near Koegelbaai, between Gordons Bay and Pringle Bay on Sunday, the NSRI said.
"It appears that groups of people had gone to the popular coved beach at Dappert se Gat during the current new moon Spring low tide.
"They did not realise that the high tide would cut them off from getting back out to mainland and that the Spring tides high tide risked engulfing the cove," National Sea Rescue Institute spokesman Craig Lambinon said in a statement.
The groups called for help using their cellphones but rescue swimmers were unable to get to them.
"The incoming tide had already cut off the cove from the mainland and sea rescue craft would not be able to get close enough to extricate the group of people from the sea side without incredible risk," he said.
Therefore, a rescue boat and rescue helicopter, with rescue swimmers onboard, had to be used to free the groups off the rocky outcrop.
"The decision was taken to hoist as many people as possible out of the cove in relays using the Skymed rescue helicopter before the high tide engulfed the cove while NSRI rescue swimmers and the sea rescue craft stood by to retrieve anyone who got swept into the ocean," said Lambinon.
A rescue swimmer hoisted the group, consisting of two children, aged seven and eight, as well as 18 adults off the cove and onto the helicopter.
"As the tide rose eventually everyone was huddled to a corner of the rocky outcrop. In relays of five people at a time the casualties were kitted into harnesses and static line hoisted to mainland where additional rescuers were on hand to receive them," said Lambinon.
The helicopter then returned to land but one of the woman said her husband was still trapped on the cove.
"He had not been in a position to indicate his entrapment due to the high seas and he was well hidden from view," said Lambinon.
"A rescue team from Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) was deployed from the land side and they rescued the 45-year-old man after negotiating steep cliffs to reach the man."
No one was injured in the incident.
Lambinon said when the rescue teams were leaving the island, most of the rocks were engulfed by water.
Sapa
"They did not realise that the high tide would cut them off from getting back out to mainland and that the Spring tides high tide risked engulfing the cove," National Sea Rescue Institute spokesman Craig Lambinon said in a statement.
The groups called for help using their cellphones but rescue swimmers were unable to get to them.
"The incoming tide had already cut off the cove from the mainland and sea rescue craft would not be able to get close enough to extricate the group of people from the sea side without incredible risk," he said.
Therefore, a rescue boat and rescue helicopter, with rescue swimmers onboard, had to be used to free the groups off the rocky outcrop.
"The decision was taken to hoist as many people as possible out of the cove in relays using the Skymed rescue helicopter before the high tide engulfed the cove while NSRI rescue swimmers and the sea rescue craft stood by to retrieve anyone who got swept into the ocean," said Lambinon.
A rescue swimmer hoisted the group, consisting of two children, aged seven and eight, as well as 18 adults off the cove and onto the helicopter.
"As the tide rose eventually everyone was huddled to a corner of the rocky outcrop. In relays of five people at a time the casualties were kitted into harnesses and static line hoisted to mainland where additional rescuers were on hand to receive them," said Lambinon.
The helicopter then returned to land but one of the woman said her husband was still trapped on the cove.
"He had not been in a position to indicate his entrapment due to the high seas and he was well hidden from view," said Lambinon.
"A rescue team from Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) was deployed from the land side and they rescued the 45-year-old man after negotiating steep cliffs to reach the man."
No one was injured in the incident.
Lambinon said when the rescue teams were leaving the island, most of the rocks were engulfed by water.
Sapa
