Whales to Witbank

After seven busy years rescuing people, boats and even one humpback whale, the NSRI Wavescapes rubber duck has been redeployed from Kommetjie to freshwater “retirement” at Witbank Dam, states a report on Wavescape Media.

Humpback whale rescue, 2011. Photo: www.wavescape.co.za

According to the news article, the rubber duck had been located at Station 26 in Kommetjie since 2008, but has been redeployed to the newest NSRI Station, Station 35 at the Witbank Yacht and Aquatic club, near Middelburg in Mpumalanga.

The RIB will have a NSRI volunteer crew compliment of 10 who cover the biggest municipal dam in the Southern Hemisphere. The 21km dam is used by both power boaters and sailors as well as school’s for recreational rowing and dingy sailing.

Prior to departure, Wavescapes underwent a minor refit in Cape Town and was then transported by truck to Witbank at the beginning of December 2014.

Wavescape Witbank, Her new home. Photo NSRI

A statement by the NSRI said that the “volunteers at Witbank look forward to serving their community at the newest Sea Rescue base in the country with the Sea Rescue boat that was donated by Wavescape”.

Wavescape readers may remember the 2011 rescue of a humpback whale two miles off Olifantsbos, Cape Point, in by the SA Whale Disentanglement Network (SAWDN) working with NSRI crew on the FNB Wavescapes after a kreef boat reported the whale entangled in rock lobster netting, rope and flotation buoys.

Wavescape stated: The humpback was rescued, and made it safely back out to sea. Our boat was involved in numerous other rescues involving vessels in distress, swimmers and other ocean users in the wild seas around the Kom, and we hope the old RIB gets a bit of a rest.

See the original article published on www.wavescape.co.za