Lifesavers thanked for drown-free holidays at beaches
Lifeguards are applauded for their efforts in ensuring a largely incident-free festive period on the beaches.
AS SCHOOLS are set to open and the holiday season officially comes to an end, Lifesaving South Africa (LSA) has applauded lifesavers who worked tirelessly to maintain drowning-free days during the peak summer holidays at municipal beaches and pools.
Also read: Umgababa lifesaver excels in Africa championships
Over one million people visited Amanzimtoti beaches during the festive period, and no fatalities were reported. In ward 90, lifeguards on duty ranged from 30 to 42, depending on the day from December 1 to 26, attending to a total of 35 rescues. The period was marked by a blistering heatwave which attracted more people than usual to cool off at the beach.
While no drownings occurred, LSA president Dhaya Sewduth said keeping an eye on several thousand bathers and picnickers on each day of the summer holidays was no mean feat.
“LSA commends all lifeguards, both professional and volunteer, for their services given during this past festive season. It is to be noted that with the records of the large crowds seen using beaches and pools, it must be acknowledged that the lifeguards were kept extremely busy in performing help-outs and rescues,” said Sewduth.
He attributed the drown-free holidays to the proactive efforts of the lifeguards in assessing the conditions, establishing the safest bathing zones and keeping the large numbers under expert surveillance.
“Most of the bathers complied with the lifeguards by swimming between the red and yellow flags or within the designated areas,” he said.
Despite these efforts, Sewduth lamented the fact that there is still ignorance by some bathers about rip tides and how to spot them or keep away from them. Lack of swimming skills as well as the use of alcohol were also other factors that he said contributed to some bathers having difficulty while swimming.
Sewduth extended his appreciation to both voluntary and municipal-employed professional lifeguards.
Do you have more information pertaining to this story? Feel free to let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or you can contact our newsroom on 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist.
