A 15-year-old member of Fish Hoek Surf Lifesaving Club has become South Africa's youngest recipient of the Royal Lifesaving Society's top bravery award after rescuing a swimmer in treacherous conditions last March.
According to the Cape Argus Lifesaving South Africa confirmed that Braedon Powell earned the Mountbatten Medal for his timely intervention at Whalebone Pier, uMhlanga Rocks.
Powell attended the Lifesaving South Africa DHL National Championships in Durban with his parents when he saw an adult man struggle in powerful backwash amid closed beaches. Without hesitation, he grabbed a nearby National Sea Rescue Institute torpedo buoy, vaulted over the pier railings and swam into the churning surf.
Earlier in 2020, Powell had already demonstrated his composure under pressure during a dramatic rescue at Fish Hoek Beach. On that occasion, he plunged into a rip current to reach a young swimmer caught in an offshore breeze, using only his board to guide them back to shore. The incident earned him a commendation from the club's lifesaving committee and foreshadowed his later national recognition.
Reaching the exhausted swimmer, Powell secured him to the buoy and began towing him shoreward. Five bystanders then helped haul the man up the steep, rocky beach. During the rescue, Powell was again pulled into the surf and suffered minor injuries as he clambered back to safety. His swift action and courage ensured the man's survival, the award citation notes.