NSRI volunteers rescue a total of 139 people during 122 rescue operations

WHILE the majority of the country kicked off their shoes, slipped into a swimming suit and headed down to the beach, sea rescue volunteers where hard at work giving up their free time, putting their lives at risk to save the lives of others.

NSRI CEO Dr Cleeve Robertson took time to highlight rescues carried out over the festive season, with the hope of teaching society a lesson.

Over the 2015 / 2016 festive season NSRI rescued a total of 139 people during 122 rescue operations.

But the statistic that stands out most is that 41 people – almost a third of those assisted by Sea Rescue – had been caught in rip currents.

Unfortunately rip currents claimed 22 lives in the first week of the new year.

Although a substantial effort into rip current education was done last year, it remains an area that needs more work with communities and officials.

Signage on dangerous beaches must be improved and beach goers need to be educated in order to make sure they know that a rip current is the single biggest danger that they face on beaches.

The NSRI crews responded to 21 fatal drowning incidents and 17 non-fatal drowning incidents between 1 December and 13 January.

Fourteen of these incidents involved children, out of which 8 drowned.

With sixty percent of children who got into difficulty drowning, this proves the need for greater preventative intervention.

The busiest days for NSRI crews were 27 December with 11 rescues and 1 January with 10 rescues.

If it was not for these volunteers, many more lives would have been lost.