Alta “Mossie” Haschick and Donald Olivier, Volunteer Rescue Swimmers, National Sea Rescue Institute, rescue drowning school children from stormy seas.
Mossie Haschick & Donald Olivier
Children Rescued At Sea
24 September 2008. When National Sea Rescue Institute Volunteer Rescue Swimmers, Alta “Mossie” Haschick and Donald Olivier were called out to the Groot Brak river mouth between George and Mossel Bay, nothing could prepare them for what they were about to experience. Four small boats had capsized in turbulent waters, leaving nine schoolchildren swept out to sea into the pounding surf by a powerful rip current.
Donald was alerted at work on his cellphone. Arriving at the scene within minutes, he donned his wetsuit and fins, grabbed a torpedo buoy and dived into the seething waters without a second’s thought. The ice cold water made him gasp for breath. The sets were so frequent that he hardly had time to take a breath before the next wave was on top of him. Undaunted, he struck out for the bobbing bodies he could see. The rip current was like a river in flood, making its own waves through its immense drawback which held Donald in its grip. His first attempt to reach the survivors was unsuccessful as the current pulled him into the impact zone onto the backline. Managing to escape the constant pounding by getting onto a nearby sea bank, he located a survivor some 20 metres away, swam to him and helped him to the beach.
Donald immediately jumped back into the dangerous waters to help another child he could see some 80 metres offshore, beyond the surf line, hanging onto an oar. Allowing the current to sweep him down to the casualty, Donald secured the child and began to swim back against the current and through the surf. It was an exhausting process and it was fortunate that he was able to reach the sandbank with his burden for a moment’s rest. However, the current started dragging them off and Donald realized that the child would not survive another pounding in the surf. Summoning his last reserves of energy, he struck out for the beach, dragging a nearly lifeless body with him, reaching the shoreline utterly exhausted. There willing hands took over and resuscitated the child he had saved.
When Mossie arrived at the scene, she was appalled by what she saw. Helpless people on the shore were watching children in trouble in the surf with just one swimmer, Donald, going to their aid. Mossie, a strong NSRI swimmer, only paused a moment to don her wetsuit and struck out for the nearest group of small life-jacketed bodies she could see. With waves continually crashing over her as the huge, closely-grouped sets bore towards the shore, Mossie reached the first casualty who was face down. Turning the child over she attempted CPR, but this was impossible in the extreme conditions and she made for the shore with the child. By now, two local surfers on their boards were also trying to help. As one of them approached Mossie, a huge wave turned her head over heels and she found herself surfacing under a surfboard. The child had slipped out of his lifejacket and disappeared. Mossie desperately clutched after him, but was unable to find him in the seething waters.
Mossie found herself being inexorably pulled seaward by the powerful rip current. In the chaos, she spotted of two life-jacketed bodies floating close by and swam towards them. In such rough conditions, she could do nothing more than hold on to them. Fortunately, NSRI Station 15’s inflatable rescue boat was now close by and Mossie handed over the casualties.
Exhausted, Mossie found herself swept out through the surf line into the open sea beyond. Seeing her predicament, the small rescue craft braved the pounding breakers and with great difficulty picked her up and took her to shore.
Not content with what they had done and tired as they were, both Donald and Mossie volunteered to fly as observers in the helicopter which had arrived to help, to search for one of the teenagers who was not accounted for.
Three children lost their lives that day. Both Donald and Mossie showed tremendous courage, determination and initiative in awful conditions in the river mouth. Donald saved two lives by braving the dangerous waters. Although Mossie did not save any lives, it was not through lack of trying.
For putting themselves on the line in a dangerous situation, Alta “Mossie” Haschick and Donald Olivier are deserving nominees in the Centrum Guardian Project.
* For helping with the rescue, special acknowledgement goes to Andries Loubser from ER24, Jaco van Rooyen from Life Line Medical Emergencies, tour operator Henry Pratt, and the crew from NSRI Station 15, Mossel Bay.
