NSRI rescues scuba divers cast adrift

The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) has rescued four scuba divers after drifting about 33 km south from where they had surfaced, losing sight of their dive boat.

The four scuba divers, three men and a woman, between the ages of 18 and 43, drifted away from their dive boat as a result of sea conditions involving strong currents and swells in excess of 4,5 metres, said the NSRI.

This amid adverse weather warnings in the province on Sunday.

Two men are from the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, while a father and daughter are from Cape Town.

Gary Wolmerans, NSRI Shelly Beach station commander, said at about 10.38 am on Sunday, NSRI Shelly Beach duty crew were activated following reports of four scuba divers missing in Protea Banks, Southern Pinnacle, just over seven kilometres offshore of Margate, KZN South Coast.

The charter boat raised the alarm while initiating a search.

“The NSRI station 20 Shelly Beach rescue craft Spirit of Dawn and Freemasons Way, the NSRI station 32 Port Edward rescue craft Spirit of Steve, were launched, also accompanied by paramedics and by police search and rescue officers, the charter boats Aqua Planet and African Dive Adventures joined in the search operation and a TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Port Net helicopter, accompanied by an NSRI station 5 Durban (ASR) Airborne Sea Rescue swimmer, activated and joined in the search,” said NSRI’s Wolmerans.

“A private fixed wing aircraft was alerted by Margate Airport air traffic control (ATC) and they contributed in an approximately 20 minute search along a search grid before continuing on their flight towards Virginia Airport and they are commended for their contribution in the search.”

Among other services, the Telkom maritime radio services broadcast an all ships marine VHF radio broadcast alerting vessels in the area to be on the lookout.

SA Air Force Lieutenant-Colonel Pine Pienaar, who happened to be in the area at the time, also volunteered and joined the NSRI’s joint operations control at the NSRI Shelly Beach operations room, assisting to plot the search grids.

During an extensive air, sea and shoreline search, involving sweeping line search efforts in sea swells in excess of 4,5 metres, the four divers were located about three hours later.

“In good spirits, although a bit sunburnt, dehydrated, hungry and tired, they had drifted some 18 nautical miles south from where they had surfaced and had lost sight of their dive boat before drifting away in sea currents,” said the NSRI.

They were given medical treatment, including for motion sickness for one of the divers, and brought safely to Shelly Beach.