Dawie Zwiegelaar, NSRI Mossel Bay station commander, said; “At 13h53 on 23 December 2011, NSRI Mossel Bay volunteer sea rescue duty crew were activated by the Transnet National Ports Authority following reports of a collision between two boats 300 meters off-shore of Dias Beach, Mossel Bay.
“Our NSRI Mossel Bay volunteer sea rescue duty crew launched our sea rescue craft VODACOM RESCUER II and our NSRI rescue vehicle, Mossel Bay Fire and Rescue Services, the SA Police Services and a Police boat, Metro EMS and ER 24 ambulance services responded
“On arrival on-scene it was found that a 9 meter (10 seater) commercial charter boat, WAVE RIDER, with at least 8 to 10 people onboard, had allegedly collided with a 4 meter pencil duck (a small rubber-duck) with 2 men onboard throwing the one man, from the pencil duck, into the water and injuring the skipper, of the pencil duck, who managed to remain onboard, and causing one side pontoon and the nose pontoon on the pencil duck to burst.
“A police Port of Entry Security boat, which arrived on-scene first, rescued the 17 year old pencil duck crewman, Leon du Plessis, from the water and on the arrival of our sea rescue craft our NSRI medics attended to the the 19 year old skipper of the pencil duck, Marcell van Heerden who was on WAVE RIDER after he had been transferred onto the WAVE RIDER from his own boat after the collision.
“Both teenagers are from Alberton. Both were treated for suspected spinal injuries and lacerations and both were secured to spinal back boards and full spinal immobilization was applied by our NSRI medics as a precaution before they were brought to our sea rescue station, 1 onboard our NSRI craft and 1 onboard the Police boat, and both men have been transported to hospital in stable conditions by ambulances for further treatment.
“It appears that none of the people on WAVE RIDER were injured and the local skipper of WAVE RIDER, Colin Edwards, brought his passengers back to the harbour and their appears to be no damage to WAVE RIDER.
“The pencil duck has been recovered.
“Police and SAMSA (The South African Maritime Safety Authority) will investigate the accident.”
NSRI have not attempted to determine if both boats were underway at the time of the collision or if the larger boat collided with the smaller boat or if the smaller boat collided with the larger boat. These questions will be raised in a formal investigation by Police and by SAMSA.
The skipper of the pencil duck, Marcell van Heerden, has also suffered a fractured arm in the collision and doctors will operate to set the fracture.
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