At 18h04 on Sunday 1 April, NSRI Port St Johns volunteer sea rescue duty crew were activated following reports of two men being swept out to sea through the Umzimvubu River mouth on a double sea-kayak.
“The river was in flood with horrendous seas and muddy waters being swept out of the river mouth at a rapid rate of knots”, said John Costello, NSRI Port St Johns station commander.
One of the mens wives alerted NSRI reporting that the kayak that the two men were on had capsized and was being swept out of the river mouth and although she had sight of the kayak there was no sign of the two men.
On arrival on-scene, during a search, one man was found washed ashore and later the double kayak washed ashore but there was still no sign of one of the men.
Later the missing man was found after he had managed to swim ashore further along the coast.
It then emerged that a third man had been involved but had managed to paddle to the river bank on his single sea-kayak before he could be swept out to sea through the river mouth.
None of the three men were injured.
The two men who were swept out to sea on the double kayak are a 33 year old from Parkhurst, Johannesburg, and his 35 year old brother-in-law from Bedfordview, Johannesburg.
The 42 year old who made it to the river bank before being swept out to sea, is from Parkhurst, Johannesburg.
It appears that they had launched 3 km upstream of the Umzimvubu River and had attempted to drift downstream but underestimated the strength of the current.
