SAFETY
Paddler’s family appeals:
‘PLEASE USE SAFETRX’
On Friday 26 February 2021, 46-year-old Rod Johnston launched his surfski from Bali Beach in Cape Town. He was likely planning to paddle a couple of circuits of the bay, not too far from the shore. But he had no idea of the danger he was in. Rob Mousley tells the story.
I
T WAS 3PM on a classic Cape summer’s day – sunny and clear, with a strong southeasterly wind blowing directly offshore. A few weeks earlier, Rod Johnston had decided to try surfski paddling: he’d borrowed a ski from a friend and had taken it out a couple of times from a beach near his home in Camps Bay. Being safety conscious, Rod wore a personal flotation device (PFD) and was tethered to his craft with a safety leash. DECEPTIVE CONDITIONS On days like this, it can appear deceptively calm in the lee of Table Mountain. But a few hundred metres out to sea, the wind accelerates down the mountainside, lashing the water with squalls 24 |
SEA RESCUE SUMMER 2021
of 50 knots or more. And, of course, those howling squalls can arrive without warning as the southeaster grows in strength. So it’s possible for a paddler to feel safe in the sheltered water close to the rocks but in extreme danger from the maelstrom of wind and spray just a few hundred metres offshore. Adding to the risk is the water temperature. Strong southeasters cause upwellings of cold water: as the warmer surface layer is blown offshore, it’s replaced by frigid water flowing up from the deep. Earlier that day, the water temperature at Bakoven had been 8.5°C. One can only speculate what happened, but it wouldn’t have been the first time a paddler was caught out by the conditions on the Atlantic side of the peninsula. Rod may have strayed just a little too far out to
