A recent family outing at Amanzimtoti main beach nearly turned tragic when lifeguards and bystanders dramatically rescued two young boys swept into deeper waters.
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A recent family outing at Amanzimtoti main beach nearly turned tragic when lifeguards and bystanders dramatically rescued two young boys swept into deeper waters.
Thanks to swift action and what the family describes as “the grace of God,” both teenagers have since made a full recovery.
Clayton Manuel, 43, a buyer from Arena Park in Chatsworth, recounted the terrifying ordeal that unfolded while he was fishing and his children swam nearby.
“We were in the rock pool. I was fishing while my two sons and their cousin played in the shallow part of the rock pool. They then decided to sit in the waist-deep water. I turned my back for only a minute when they suddenly started getting pulled in by the tide,” Manuel said.
The situation escalated quickly as the children struggled against the current.
"Both Ethan (16) and my elder son, Zion (19) started drowning. People alerted us by screaming for help,” he explained.
Lifeguards rushed into action as panic spread along the beach.
“The lifeguards jumped into the water to save them as they ended up very far out, where we could only see the hair of our sons' heads bobbing in the water. They kept going underwater, which is why they do not remember what happened afterwards.
"The miracle of it all was that they stayed together, even when they went deeper into the water. They were also saved together,” Manuel said.
He described the emotional toll of watching the rescue unfold.
“It was scary watching this happen to my sons. I was still scared when the lifeguards took them off the rescue boat. They moved everyone from the area. My sons were not moving or breathing.”
Emergency responders immediately began resuscitation efforts.
“They started emergency resuscitation on them. We were lucky that a doctor from Prince Mshiyeni Hospital was walking by and helped us. Eventually, Ethan awoke. Zion took a bit longer because he swallowed a lot of water, but he eventually threw it up which was a good sign. The doctor called the hospital where he worked, and an ambulance took my sons there."
Both teenagers were admitted for observation.
Ethan felt better than Zion but he was kept overnight with his brother to make sure everything was fine. He had an elevated heart rate. Zion was in intensive care but improved quickly. We are glad that everything worked out.”
Reflecting on the incident, Manuel said: “The whole situation could have ended badly but with the grace of God, it did not. When it initially happened, I tried running in to save my sons, but I could not get very far with the tide. At that moment we focused on getting them help and ensuring their survival. As time passed and my sons were safe, I started feeling a pang of guilt about the incident.
“If only I had told them to get out of the water quicker, it might not have happened. This incident serves as a lesson for young children and even adults to be cautious in the water because you never know what might happen.”
Despite the trauma, the boys have since recovered fully.
“Both my sons are fine now. They are healthy again, as if nothing happened. The only thing they suffered from was anxiety and night sweats because of the incident but they are perfectly fine now. We are grateful for the amazing rescue.”
Manuel expressed deep gratitude to everyone involved in saving his children.
“It felt like it was out of a movie how everyone was there to help us. We are truly grateful for everyone,” he said.