School holiday disaster averted by Amanzimtoti lifesavers
Three schoolchildren were saved from drowning at Tiger Rocks Beach during an excursion a day after Heritage Day.
PROFESSIONAL lifeguards at Amanzimtoti Main Beach spurred into action on September 25 when they were called out around 1.2km away from their patrol area to rescue three schoolchildren from drowning.
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Lifesaving SA media officer Dhaya Sewduth said that during a school excursion, the bus stopped at the Amanzimtoti CBD. Schoolchildren from that bus went onto the beach and entered the ocean in a non-bathing beach, Tiger Rocks Beach, and three of the children were washed out to sea.
“Fortunately, the eThekwini lifeguards made the dash of over a kilometre and effected a multidisciplinary mass rescue. They launched their inflatable rescue boat and deployed rescue swimmers and lifeguards on paddle boards over an area of around 400m and brought the children to safety,” said Sewduth.
A separate incident on Heritage Day saw a young girl rescued by Wheels on Waves founder, Wesley Smith, before lifeguards began duty early morning.
Sewduth urged beachgoers that bathing should only take place where and when lifeguards are on duty.
“With the full moon spring tides running along the coastline, extreme caution needs to be exercised when swimming at beaches along the coastline. The ocean conditions could become even more risky than usual,” said Sewduth.
Beach safety tips from the National Sea Rescue Institute
- Supervise children closely. Drowning is silent and children often slip under the water quietly. Keep children within an arm’s length and do not let your guard down to distractions.
- Swim between lifeguard flags. Rip currents are hard to spot, but deadly, and lifeguards are trained to identify dangers and assist swimmers. If caught in a rip current, do not panic, float, swim to the side and head back to shore.
- Learn survival swimming. Floating and orienting yourself in the water can mean the difference between life and death.
- Learn basic CPR. Knowing how to perform bystander CPR could save a life. Push hard and fast in the centre of the chest at a rate of 100–120 compressions per minute until professional help arrives.
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