SUMMER is almost upon us and, with the joy and festivities of the festive season, all too often comes tragedy and loss in the form of drownings in Richards Bay and across the Zululand region.

After Saturday’s double drowning at the T-jetty in Richards Bay, the ZO undertook to visually highlight the dangers of swimming at this location as well as the Bay Hall area, Pelican Island and Naval Island, all of which are non-swimming beaches.

ALSO READ: WATCH: Scene of drowning incident in Bay

The depth of the water, particularly at T-jetty, is deceptive, as it is shallow for up to 10m from shore at low tide before suddenly dropping away underfoot.

Bathers walking from the shoreline towards deeper water suddenly encounter a sharp drop in the ocean floor – either from a ledge or a hole in the sea bed.

Unable to stand, bathers panic and inevitably try to gulp a deep breath of air, swallow water and need urgent rescue and resuscitation.

Law enforcement urges bathers to adhere to the ‘no-swimming’ signs at these locations which are marked as such for good reason.

See the full story in the ZO Weekender edition.

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