“Thankful No One Was Hurt”: Scary Situation With Boat on Sea at Rocky Bay Leaves SA Spooked

• A video of a small motorless boat being overtaken by massive waves at Rocky Bay had people on shore fearing the worst for those on board
• The boat eventually overturned in the rough conditions, but did not sink, and all occupants made it back to shore safely
• NSRI and SEAL Tactical members were on site and assisted with recovering both the people and their equipment

Braam Van Tubbergh shared a video of a boat in serious distress on 4 April 2026. The Western Cape woman had South Africans gripping their seats after sharing the scary incident with a simple message:

"Thankful no one was hurt."

The clip showed a small boat without a motor sitting in open water at Rocky Bay, not too far from the shore. A large crowd had gathered on the beach, many of them watching anxiously as waves kept crashing into the vessel. With every wave, the boat rocked violently, and at several points, the water completely swallowed it from view. The people on shore could be heard reacting with shock each time. Eventually, the waves won and the boat overturned. It did not sink, but the situation was terrifying to watch.

Read also

"Nessie on vacation": SANParks stuns SA with rare unrealistic sighting of water creature at Orpen

What happened at Rocky Bay

According to information shared by SEAL Tactical, the boat overturned at Rocky Bay at 09:00. All occupants made it to shore safely. SEAL Tactical Frog Squad, NSRI, and SCW members were already on site when it happened and stepped in immediately to help with the recovery of both the people and their lost equipment. The boat itself was left on the rocks and was still being recovered at the time.

Watch the Facebook video below:

SA spooked by the Rocky Bay boat incident

People in the comments came with both concern and some hard-earned wisdom about the sea on Braam's Facebook video:

@Robert Drew wrote:

"My golden rules: Never turn your back on the sea. She will take you. Fish in a group to be seen by all. Wear bright colourful clothing so you can be spotted in the surf. Take care and be safe."

@Ters SpearMaster said:

Read also

"Just tell us": Joburg single man complains about friends with kids after disastrous braai visit

"Always sad to lose electronics in the surf. We were there and assisted in recovery of people and property. Pity we couldn't launch quickly enough. Glad everyone made it out safe."

@Mike Bouwer added:

"Two types of skippers. Those who have had a bad launch and those who are going to."

@Siobhan Brogan Campbell wrote:

"Shame, man, so glad they are onshore safely. After having their engines swamped by a wave, they came in and then decided to go out again."

@Dion Peter Robberts said:

"Been there, done that. It is not too much fun. Like you say, lucky no one was hurt."

@Stephan Terblanche asked:

"Does anybody know whose boat it is?"

More scary South African incidents

• Briefly News recently reported on a 13-year-old boy who had to escape a burning vehicle on the R67 in the Eastern Cape after a crash that claimed three lives.
• A head-on collision on Limpopo's R37 near Ga-Chuene left one person dead and a lane closed, with motorists warned to brace for delays.
• Two of Mzansi's favourite Amapiano artists were involved in a car accident and the statement from their management had fans holding their breath.

Source: Briefly News