Friends Jump Back Into Rough Eastern Cape Surf To Save Drowning Tourist in Dramatic Beach Rescue

• Two Americans and a Brazilian tourist narrowly escaped drowning at Kenton-on-Sea Main Beach on Saturday after one got into serious difficulty in the surf
• The three men, aged 20, 23 and 25, had already made it back to shore by the time NSRI rescue swimmers and emergency services arrived
• All three were treated for non-fatal drowning on the beach and taken to a hospital as a precaution

EASTERN CAPE, KENTON-ON-SEA - A holiday at a popular Eastern Cape beach took a terrifying turn on Saturday, 28 June 2026, when three young foreign tourists found themselves fighting for their lives in the surf at Kenton-on-Sea Main Beach.

What made the rescue remarkable was that two of the men went back into the water themselves to pull their struggling friend to shore. The men were able to use a bodyboard to keep him afloat before emergency services even arrived on the scene.

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Eyewitnesses raised the alarm at around 12:46, and the NSRI Port Alfred station, along with its Kenton-on-Sea satellite team, Gardmed ambulance services and local coastal kindness volunteers all responded.

Friends make the first move

By the time rescue swimmers reached the beach, the three men were already out of the water. NSRI Port Alfred duty coxswain Jean-Pierre du Plessis explained what had unfolded.

"It appears that while swimming, at least one of the young men got into difficulties. The two friends went back into the water to assist their friend to the beach, using the flotation of a bodyboard," he said.

The quick thinking of the two men almost certainly made a very big difference before professional help could get there.

All three tourists were found on the beach showing signs of non-fatal drowning and received emergency treatment from paramedics before being transported to the hospital by ambulance.

Doctors assessed all three and confirmed they were stable. They were later discharged after treatment.

A timely reminder about winter swimming

The NSRI used the incident to remind South Africans and visitors alike that swimming conditions along the coast during winter can change fast and without warning.

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Cold water, strong currents and unpredictable surf make the sea particularly unforgiving at this time of year. The NSRI encouraged all beachgoers to stay alert and never underestimate the conditions.

More rescues in SA

A 60-year-old hiker fell about 40 metres on the Second Waterfall trail in Jonkershoek Nature Reserve near Stellenbosch. It triggered a complex rescue operation that involved helicopter extraction and multiple emergency teams working across steep and difficult terrain.

A KZN snake rescuer was filmed pulling a healthy black mamba out of a dark kitchen with very little light to work with. The video left viewers equal parts impressed and terrified by what the job actually involves.

A Range Rover worth close to R3 million ended up swallowed by the ocean after the driver tried to tow a friend's stranded van on the beach. The whole costly ordeal was caught on camera.

Source: Briefly News