NSRI beach safety tips for the summer holidays

Published Dec 12, 2018

Share

Cape Town – For a safe experience at the beach, choose a spot that has lifeguards on duty and swim between their flags.

This was the number one safety tip from the NSRI for the summer holidays.

Spokesperson Andrew Ingram urged the public to adopt a safety-conscious mindset around coastal and inland waters.

At beaches where lifeguards are on duty, members of the public can worry less about rip currents or suddenly getting out of their depth.

“Putting an arm in the air and waving for help will get a rapid response from the lifeguards on duty,” Ingram said.

“Unfortunately, for various reasons, people regularly swim where there are no lifeguards on duty. This may be on a beach after the lifeguard’s duty has finished for the day or at a beach that does not have lifeguards. This is when things can go wrong.”

Ingram described a typical scenario of an emergency call for a swimmer in difficulty and, when rescue services get there, they find two or more people in danger of drowning.

“Tragically, sometimes we are not able to get there in time and someone drowns. Often the person who does not survive is sadly the kind person who went into the water to try to help a person who was in difficulty.”

.

Because this happens so frequently, Sea Rescue launched its Pink Rescue Buoy project in November 2017.

These bright pink rescue buoys are hung on strategically placed signs in the hope that they will remind people to take care when entering water, and not swim if lifeguards are not on duty at that stretch of the beach.

If there is an incident and someone needs help, these buoys can be thrown to the person in trouble in the water, providing them with emergency flotation.

There are graphics on the sign which explain how to use the buoy. The emergency number for the closest sea rescue station is printed on the sign.

“If anyone decides, against advice, to enter the water to try to rescue someone in trouble, first call sea rescue then the pink rescue buoy provides flotation for that good Samaritan as well as for the casualty,” Ingram said.

“When climbing on rocks or fishing from rocks, never ever turn your back on the sea.

“And we strongly advise rock anglers to wear a life jacket and know when spring high tide is.”

If you are paddling or on a boat, before you launch, download and use the NSRI’s free SafeTrx app: www.nsri.org.za/safetrx

For more about drowning prevention campaigns, visit: www.nsri.org.za/drowning-prevention/

Related Topics: