GEORGE NEWS - Were it not for the quick reaction of Jian Smith, the head guide at Kaaimans Adventures, and a Capetonian's heroic swim in icy waters at day's end, three football players from Cape Town might have had to spend a freezing Saturday night on the banks of the Kaaimans River.
According to NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon, a team of football players paddled upstream from the confluence of the Kaaimans and the Swart rivers when one of the canoes capsized near the waterfall.
"Our duty crew was activated at 16:17 following reports from an employee of Kaaimans Adventures [Smith] that three men were trapped near the waterfall.
"All but one of the craft had returned to their accommodation where the men were staying on the river, but the last craft, with four of the male soccer players onboard, had capsized at the waterfall. Only one of the four men was wearing a life jacket.
"Two could swim to shore, but one needed to be rescued by his friend with the life jacket. He was able to swim his friend across the river to the opposite bank, but they were all trapped on the shore, surrounded by steep cliff faces, and suffering hypothermia," Lambinon said.
Fearing that an attempt for all four men to try to swim down the river may lead to further injury, one of the four men volunteered to use the life jacket and swam hundreds of meters in the freezing water to seek help.
The man managed to cross the river and he found Kaaimans River Adventures further downstream, where he raised the alarm by using the whistle attached to the life jacket.
"We were about to pack up for the day when I heard the whistle," Smith said.
"On inspection I saw a very lethargic man on the opposite side of the river. He must've been so tired from swimming all the way back. I grabbed one of our kayaks and when I reached him he told me that his three friends were stuck near the waterfall. I paddled back up where they were waiting on a rock across from the waterfall - all wet and very cold.
"I managed to get all of them huddled together on my kayak and paddled back to our base where the NSRI was already waiting."
The men were treated for hypothermia by NSRI medics and required no further assistance.
"Thank God I was there and I could help them. It could've turned out really bad for them," said Smith.
NSRI appeals to paddlers, boaters and sailors to always wear a properly fitting life jacket when your craft is underway.
"We commend the staff of Kaaimans Adventures for raising the alarm and the swift response in successfully rescuing the three remaining casualties," said Lambinon.
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