Photo: Twitter/Bosbeer
Photo: Twitter/Bosbeer
If you thought your Monday was going badly, spare a thought for an extremely unlucky tourist from the United States of America (USA) who could only stand by and watch his rental car slowly roll down a Hermanus jetty and plunge into the harbour with his valuables inside.
Video footage captured by CCTV cameras at the Neptune’s Divers and Cruises offices demonstrate the unfortunate ordeal, which witnesses described as a “total disaster”. The tourist was about to set off on an epic nine-month journey through Africa, and could only watch with gritted teeth as his car and valuables met a murky fate.
Watch: Rental car sinks into Hermanus harbour
Makayla Mohr – who works for the dive centre located at the Hermanus New Harbour alongside the township Zwelihle and close to the western end of Westcliff Road – witnessed the whole ordeal.
She told The South African that as the man entered the offices and began ascending the staircase, he turned around and saw his rental Hyundai i20 creeping towards the edge of the jetty.
By the time he turned around and tried to run to the car, it was too late,” she said.
Tourist ‘pretty cool’ despite unfortunate incident
Mohr said that the man – who had gone diving with the company the day before – had been “pretty cool” about the situation, immediately informing the rental car company of the incident. She said that the man’s valuables, including laptops and cameras, were in the car when it plunged into the ocean, adding insult to injury.
She said that she was relieved that the man hadn’t dashed to try and salvage the situation, saying that had he tried to do something he may have become trapped and put his own life in jeopardy.
Mohr said that the man had returned to Cape Town.
