Cape Town - A British man, now living in Cape Town, has been commended for saving the life of a child, while a teenager drowned at Muizenberg Beach.
Archie Moberly was surfing at Muizenberg on Saturday when some children pleaded with him to help their two male friends who were further out in the surf line.
Without hesitation, Moberly paddled towards the pair, who were separated in the surf zone.
He rescued one of the children, believed to be aged 12 or 13, on to his longboard and the boy pointed to where his teenage friend could be seen in distress in the surf zone.
Moberly then left the child safe on his longboard and swam towards the teenager, who then disappeared under water before he could reach him.
After searching for the boy, Moberly found no sign of him and retreated towards the beach with the rescued youngster.
National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) spokesperson Craig Lambinon said services were activated just before 10am and an air, sea and shoreline search launched for a missing male teenager.
“The teenager was spotted submerged under water in the surf zone by the EMS/AMS Skymed rescue helicopter. A Lifesaving SA (LSA) rescue swimmer was deployed from the Skymed rescue helicopter into the surf zone, where the LSA rescue swimmer reached and recovered the teenager from under water, and he was joined on the scene, in the surf line, by COCT lifeguards using Malibu rescue boards,” Lambinon explained.
EMS paramedics, a retired paramedic, a student paramedic and lifeguards assisted in initiating CPR efforts but the 16-year-old boy from Makhaza was later declared deceased.
“The body of the deceased teenager was taken into the care of police and Government Health Forensic Pathology Services. Police have opened an inquest docket,” Lambinon said.
Numerous drowning deaths have been reported in the Muizenberg vicinity since the beginning of the year.
The body of a 28-year-old man from Woodstock is yet to be found after he was caught in a rip current at Sonwabe Beach on January 1.
Over the weekend, the man’s family prayed at the beach with the hope that his body would be recovered.
byron.lukas@inl.co.za