A 43-year-old man is lucky to be alive after being rescued from the freezing Atlantic off Bloubergstrand on Tuesday afternoon — and the only reason he's still here is because a whole squad of emergency workers dropped everything to find him.
Rescue teams got the call at 15:13 after multiple eyewitnesses reported seeing a man on a windsurfing board in distress near Ons Huisie restaurant. By the time they arrived, he'd vanished from sight.
The NSRI Melkbosstrand crew launched the rescue craft West Coast Relief from Station 18. Big Bay Surf Lifesaving lifeguards also scrambled their own boat. The City of Cape Town's water rescue network, Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services, Community Medics, Disaster Risk Management, Western Cape Government Health EMS, and SAPS all joined the search.
An EMS helicopter was put on standby, and a drone unit was deployed to scan the water and shoreline.
Rescuers eventually spotted the man among rocks at Kids Rock. An NSRI rescue swimmer jumped from the craft and reached him, securing him and bringing him aboard.
He was suffering from severe hypothermia — his body temperature had dropped dangerously low from prolonged exposure to the cold water. Paramedics treated him on shore at Small Bay before rushing him to hospital by ambulance. He's in a stable condition and expected to make a full recovery.
The man, originally from Limpopo but now living in the Bloubergstrand area, had been paddling on a windsurfing board when he ran into trouble. The board was later recovered.
"The coordinated response of all emergency services involved helped to save the man's life," said NSRI Melkbosstrand station commander Rowan Marais, crediting their swift actions and teamwork.
Within minutes of the alert, multiple agencies converged on the scene. The NSRI rescue swimmer was deployed from the craft and successfully reached the stranded man before securing him and bringing him safely aboard the vessel.
Once on the rescue craft, the man was stabilised and transported to shore at Small Bay, where paramedics provided emergency treatment before he was taken to hospital by ambulance.
The man remains in hospital in a stable condition. No further medical updates have been released. The NSRI hasn't said whether any investigation into the incident is planned.
For the teams that responded, this was another reminder of the dangers of Cape Town's waters — even for experienced water users. The Atlantic coast is notorious for strong currents, cold temperatures, and sudden weather changes that can turn a leisurely paddle into a life-threatening emergency.