The dangers of rip currents are in the spotlight after three children and a 38-year-old man drowned in three separate incidents across the country this week.

In the first incident, a 17-year-old boy and 15-year-old girl’s bodies were retrieved from the Ngagane River in northern Natal.

Renegade Search and Rescue Amajuba co-ordinator Razia Cassim told Northern Natal News that Sphesihle Bontle (17) of Maskraal decided to go for a swim on Tuesday, when he was swept away by the strong currents and drowned.

Bontle was positively identified after search and rescue members this morning found his body in the Ngagane River at the Umzinyathi Bridge.

“Thereafter, police discovered the belongings of a 15-year-old girl from Dickshalt along the river banks of the Ngagane River,” Cassim said.

Her body was found approximately 10km from where it is believed she drowned.

Meanwhile, a young man drowned at Suiderkruis, Groot-Brakrivier, on Wednesday night. The incident took place after 19:00.

Mossel Bay Advertiser reports that according to preliminary information, he was swimming in the sea at the estuary when he disappeared under the water.

The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) says their lifeboat was sent out and the police, ambulance services and Mossel Bay’s Fire and Rescue Services were immediately on the scene. According to information, children swimming nearby pulled the man out of the water after which the NSRI crew applied cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). However, he was later pronounced dead and his body is currently with the forensic pathology service.

A third drowning incident saw the life of a 38-year-old father cut short.

The South Coast Herald reports it appears he had launched himself into the water to assist his son (11), who was caught in rip currents, said the NSRI.

Port Edward station commander Gert du Plessis said five people had rescued the boy and his father from the surf.

“These good Samaritans had initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation efforts on the father. However, paramedics declared the man deceased.”

Du Plessis said medical treatment continued on the boy, who was subsequently transported to hospital in a serious, but stable, condition by Netcare 911 ambulance.

The NSRI believes that rip currents are the greatest danger that holidaymakers will face when they flock to the beaches during this holiday season and want to draw this danger to the attention of people holidaying at the coast.

“Many people find rip currents hard to see and so we have used fluorescein dye in a once-off deployment to highlight a couple of them so that we could photograph and film the dye being pulled out in the rips. We will use these photos and video as educational tools to teach beach safety,” said NSRI Wilderness station commander Mike Vonk.

“If caught in a rip the most important thing is not to panic. Swim out of the current at 90 degrees to the direction in which you are being pulled and use the waves to swim back to shore. Or flip on your back and float until the current runs out of strength and you can swim back to the beach,” he added.

NSRI drowning prevention manager Andrew Ingram has some important advice on how to assist a person caught in a rip current.

“Call NSRI for help by dialing 112 from your cellphone, save the NSRI’s National Emergency Operations Centre number on your phone (087 094 9774) or Google ‘Sea Rescue emergency’ for the closest NSRI stations’ number. Never go into the water to attempt a rescue without taking something that floats with you,” added Andrew.