Cape Town - With warm weather expected this summer, many people will be dipping their toes in various open waters across the province during the festive season.
The NSRI have cautioned members of the public to be safer while at the coast after several incidents of drowning since the start of the summer.
General manager of MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet Pieter Twine said: “The NSRI plays a critically important role in keeping holidaymakers and locals safe.”
NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said that with
adequate education, everyone could be safer on the beaches.
“Every year we do our best to ensure that everyone who uses the beach is armed with
as much information as possible when it comes to water safety,”
“This, along with our teams having a physical presence at various beaches, is all part of our effort to ensure that locals and visitors have a fun, safe and happy seaside escape in South Africa.”
Lambinon and his team provided basic beach safety tips to be mindful of this summer:
- Beachgoers should choose a beach where lifeguards are on duty
- Listen attentively to the advice given by them.
- Where there is a lifeguard on duty, they will put up flags over a short distance demarcating the area in which swimmers should swim - swim between the flags.
- Never consume alcohol before taking a dip as this could affect your ability to swim
properly.
- Parents should be constantly supervising their children in the water, however shallow, and should not be distracted by their cellphones during this time.
- Lastly, do not enter the water to rescue someone unless you are trained and have flotation. For those not trained in sea rescue, call for help using Google Sea Rescue or 112 and throw something that floats to the person in distress.