A family from Brits on holiday at Stilbaai was saved by the NSRI on Friday after they were swept out to sea by a rip current.

The Stilbaai NSRI rescued three family members from Brits.

Adriaan and Retha Oosthuizen and their three children Abigail (14), Lienke (15) and baby brother AJ were at Sandstrand when the incident happened. Abigail was on a surfboard when a rip current took her out to sea. The parents rushed in to get her but were also caught in the current.
According to NSRI Stilbaai, eyewitnesses reported that a dad, mom and their teenage daughter were caught in rip currents and were being swept out to sea,” the NSRI said. A younger daughter was on the shore.
Two brave surfers and an NSRI rescue swimmer rushed to the father, mother and daughter who were about 800m from shore. The teenage daughter was on her surfboard.
“Two NSRI rescue swimmers and an NSRI lifeguard, armed with torpedo rescue buoys, launched into the surf to swim out to the three people in trouble. The mom was unconscious in the water but she was breathing. She was loaded onto one of the surfers’ surfboards while the dad and daughter held onto the second surfboard. The family were kept afloat until the NSRI rescue craft arrived on the scene.” The group was already 1km out to sea.
The family and two NSRI rescue swimmers were taken aboard the rescue craft. The NSRI lifeguard and the two surfers returned to the beach on their own.
The family was transported to local doctors’ rooms where they recovered.