An American pensioner has made a full recovery after being rescued from rocks following a swimming incident between Gordon’s Bay and Kogel Bay that required a complex multi-service emergency response on Friday 14 November.
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) in Gordon’s Bay responded to the incident at 10:04, following a distress call from a woman reporting that her friend was in difficulty on shoreline rocks near Grille Shack.
Roan Strydom, NSRI Gordon’s Bay coxswain, confirmed that a 76-year-old American man had managed to reach rocks after getting into difficulties while swimming. The man, who was with family and friends, was found in distress on the rocky shoreline.
Multiple emergency services responded to the incident, including NSRI rescue crews, GBMed Rescue ambulance services, Western Cape EMS rescue squad, and fire and rescue services.
Due to the challenging terrain – a considerable distance down steep slopes from the coastal road – paramedics first stabilised the patient before securing him in a Stokes basket stretcher. The emergency team then hauled him to the roadway.
The man was then transported to hospital in a stable condition.
