- A fisherman has been rescued after being stung by a stingray off the coast of Gqeberha.
- The man, who was in a stable condition, was taken ashore by the NSRI.
- He was transferred to a local hospital for treatment.
A Gqeberha fisherman has been rescued from a fishing trawler near Summer Strand in Algoa Bay after being stung by a stingray.
On Sunday afternoon, National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) crew members were requested to rescue a local fisherman from the vessel after he was stung by a stingray while at fishing grounds a few days earlier.
At 21:30, the NSRI duty crew launched a sea rescue, accompanied by the provincial emergency services.
"Medical crew on board the vessel were treating the fisherman for pain and while he was recovering, they decided to rather call for assistance and they were instructed to begin heading towards their nearest port," said Michael Wilson, NSRI duty coxswain in Gqeberha.
"Two NSRI rescue crew were transferred onto the fishing trawler and the patient was found to be in a stable condition and walking wounded. He was transferred onto our sea rescue craft and brought to our NSRI Port Elizabeth sea rescue station in the care of the two rescue paramedics," Wilson said.
The patient was transported to hospital for further care.
In a separate incident in Algoa Bay on Monday, the NSRI was called to assist a rigid hull inflatable boat that was taking on water. The four men on board were safe and a private boat had the vessel under tow.
"Their craft and their outboard motors were lying low in the water and we took over the towline from the private craft. Three of the four crew were transferred onto the private boat and they were taken to shore aboard the private boat.
"The skipper remained on the casualty boat and we towed him into port without incident," Wilson added.