Four men saved from boat teetering on Grootdraai Dam spillway

Four men clinging onto their ski-boat at the edge of the Grootdraai Dam spillway were brought to safety in a dramatic rescue operation on Monday.

NSRI Witbank and NSRI Gauteng duty crews were activated after 7pm following a request for urgent assistance from police divers reporting four men trapped with their ski-boat hovering at the edge of the Grootdraai Dam spillway in Standerton, Mpumalanga.

“It appears that the four men may have experienced motor mechanical failure to their ski-boat and they had drifted to the edge of the dam wall - at the spillway - that threatened to wash them and their boat over the wall in heavy flowing water with an approximately 40-metre drop into the Vaal River,” the NSRI said. 

NSRI Witbank launched the NSRI rescue craft Harveys Fibreglass, between 3 and 4 kilometers upstream from the dam wall, accompanied by NSRI rescue crew and accompanied by a member of the public who had vast knowledge of the dam, and tentatively approached the dam wall cautiously calculating the best approach.

“Unknown to NSRI - it appears that a Department of Water and Sanitation member had opened three sluice gates at the spillway which automatically created a vacuum under the casualty boat alleviating the overflow pressure by some remarkable understanding of the situation - where the weir overflow in relation to the opened bottom slots - prevented the casualty boat from being swept over the edge despite trapping the boat in that precarious position on the edge of the dam wall in heavy flowing water.”

NSRI Witbank station commander Travis Clack explained while drifting backwards towards the casualty boat, strong 12 to 14 knot winds were posing a risk, causing the tossing and turning of the rescue craft in this approach method. He made the decision to go bow ahead towards the casualties with reverse gears ready to be engaged at a moment's notice.

“On approaching the casualty ski-boat, that was hanging precariously on the edge of the spillway… with all 4 men observed clinging onto the stern of their boat, all 4 wearing life-jackets, Witbank coxswain and station commander Travis Clack, and crew Francois du Randt and Jacqueline Enslin, prepared a throw line with a soft rescue buoy attached,” the NSRI said. 

Initially the considerations were to rescue one at a time in relays, said Travis, but when they got there, seeing the strength of the water flow, and once the throw line and rescue buoy had reached the men - the realisation was that the rescue team and the four casualties would only get one chance. Rescuers shouted at them to all grab the throw line and to hold on.

Once secured, rescue teams initiated reverse thrust pulling the four men away from their ski-boat towards gentler flowing water while one of the NSRI crew pulled on the throw rope shortening their distance towards the rescue boat.

On reaching a safe distance from the edge of the weir, NSRI were able to rescue all men onto the rescue craft and bring them to emergency services.

They were medically assessed by EMS paramedics and found to not be injured.

“The casualty boat, with the four casualties' personal belongings onboard, remains trapped on the edge of the weir. NSRI are aware that the owner will consider options to try to recover the boat and the situation is being monitored by authorities / understandably throughout the ordeal the priority was to save all four men's lives.”

Cape Times