Man, 66, swept away at lagoon near Hermanus drowns NSRI Hermanus said the Cape Town man was wading in shallow water with his nine-year-old grandson when a current swept him away. A 66-year-old man tragically drowned when strong currents swept him away at Grotto East near Hermanus on Saturday, 15 May. According to the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) the man was wading in shallow water with his grandson when the incident occurred. HERMANUS LAGOON BROKE ITS BANKS AFTER HEAVY RAIN Andre Barnard, NSRI Hermanus station commander, said the man who is from Cape Town was talking a stroll with his daughter and grandson at the time.