Lifeguards buoyed by NSRI donation

Umdloti bather safety received a shot in the arm with an NSRI torpedo buoy donation just in time for the busy festive period.

After reading an article in the Courier in early November on how a lack of essential lifeguard equipment could be compromising bather safety, NSRI Station 41

Ballito commander, Mike Bishop, arranged for six red NSRI torpedo buoys to be donated to the struggling lifeguards.

At the time, Umdloti lifeguards had only four torpedo buoys available while they reportedly need at least 10 to do duty on three beaches during the festive season.

“We must all work together to make the beaches safe,” said Bishop.

NSRI national spokesperson, Andrew Ingram, said the Umdloti lifeguards were so desperate they were using the NSRI’s pink rescue buoys and returning them after each shift.

“It’s not a problem if they use our pink buoys, they’re there for an emergency and that was an emergency,” Ingram added.

Shortly thereafter, the eThekwini Municipality came to the party with another five yellow torpedo buoys, bringing the total to a healthy 15.

An experienced lifeguard who preferred not to be named expressed his gratitude to the NSRI and the local community for coming to their aid.

He said having enough torpedo buoys made a huge difference but brought to the Courier’s attention that they still only had one malibu board and needed another for group rescues.

They still do not have any functional motorised craft, essential for when numerous people get into difficulty at the same time.

They also need three more Fox40 whistles as the ones issued by the municipality were the incorrect models and not loud enough for bathers to hear.

Logistics company DHL donated one shirt, a pair of shorts and a hat to each lifeguard. Unfortunately there was a mix-up with sizes and most of the shorts were too small.

The majority of Umdloti’s lifeguards will still perform duties in incomplete uniforms.

The Courier previously reported that this led to altercations with the public when lifeguards were not easily identifiable and they were often ignored by bathers when performing duties in their “civvies”.

Further improving the lifeguards’ working conditions at the tidal pool, Sandbar Restaurant and Cocktail donated a tarp to provide shade, five comfortable chairs and a megaphone to help with bather communication.

Owing to the rickety state of the lifeguard container, the tarp cannot be attached to the side of the container as planned, however.

“The lifeguard house is so rusted, we can’t attach it. So we now have to put four posts into the ground with cement to put the tarp up,” said Sandbar co-owner, Davina Staples.

The restaurant also put remaining flood recovery funds raised last year through a charity golf day towards repairing the municipal ablutions at the tidal pool.

On the south side the beach toilets also received a much needed facelift, funded partly by the Umdloti Smart Village and the most recent Umdloti scooter rally.

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