Dog rescued and teenager presumed drowned:

Image: Hout Bay Beach

Sunday 15th January 2012.

Hout Bay:
At 09h43 Hout Bay sea rescue crew were busy with a routine exercise onboard their sea rescue craft just off Hout Bay main beach when they saw people waving frantically towards them and pointing out to sea from the beach.

Brad Geyser, NSRI Hout Bay station commander, said that on closer investigation a black labrador dog was found in deep water off the main beach and appeared to be in some difficulty.
The NSRI rescue craft NEDBANK RESCUER caught up with the labrador, Roxy, behind the breaker line and our volunteers pulled her aboard. She didn’t hesitate to come aboard the sea rescue craft, said Brad.

Roxy was returned to the beach aboard NEDBANK RESCUER and safely handed back to her relieved and grateful owners.

Roxy is known to playfully chase birds into the sea but in this case appears to have become disorientated behind the waves and was heading further out to sea in the wrong direction when we caught up with her.
After being safely delivered to the beach it wasn’t long before Roxy bravely chased a flock of Seagulls into the sea again but this time she turned around at the first sign of a wave … much to the relief of the crew who thought that they may have to pull her out of the water again, said Brad.

Port Elizabeth:
Port Elizabeth volunteers launched EIKOS RESCUER IV at 15h40 and responded to Pollock Beach, Summerstrand following reports of a teenager who had gone missing in the surf while swimming.

NSRI Port Elizabeth, EC Government Health: EMS and their rescue helicopter, Coastal Rescue, the SA Police Force and a Police dive unit and lifeguards conducted an extensive sea, air and shore search but no sign of a 14 year old local boy, who is missing and who is presumed to have drowned, has been found.
Daniel Heimann, NSRI Port Elizabeth duty coxswain, said sea conditions were rough with poor visibility and it is believed that the teenager had been swept out to sea by a rip current before disappearing under water.

A police dive unit are due to continue the search today.

- NSRI