The ocean can be a dangerous place; luckily there are a few brave people willing to lend a helping hand to those in need. A vigilant young nipper noticed a potentially serious situation on Fish Hoek Beach on Sunday [August 23], and quickly sprung to action.
Braedon Powell, a 12-year-old Nipper at Fish Hoek Surf Lifesaving Club, noticed two gentlemen playing in the surf on an inflatable mattress. The men were slowly being blown out to sea by an offshore breeze.
The quick-thinking young lifeguard immediately jumped into the water to help these men.
“Braedon grabbed a knee-board and paddled 150m-200m out to sea. He informed them of the potential seriousness of their situation. After discovering that neither of them could swim, he managed to calm them down, got them to lie down in a stable position, and used the nose of his knee-board to push them safely back to shore,” explains Fish Hoek Surf Lifesaving Nippers in a Facebook post.
Fish Hoek Surf Life Saving Club has been around for 50 years and is an integral part of Fish Hoek and its surrounds. The club provides trained lifeguards who serve on beaches on a voluntary and professional basis.
They also offer a structured training programme for young boys and girls. Their Nipper club has over 200 children aged aged between and 14 years, learning the basics of lifesaving and beach safety every week throughout the summer.
Nippers offers the opportunity to learn basic First Aid, Water Safety and training of varied water skills like surf swimming, body boarding, and knee boarding and how to compete as part of a team. Many of their Nippers compete in local, provincial and national competitions.