WESTERN CAPE. – The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) is warning the public to be extra careful around water as the weather improves and school holidays begin. The NSRI says it has already seen an increase in rescue activities along parts of South Africa's coast, with more people expected at beaches, swimming pools, rivers and dams.
Andrew Ingram, NSRI communications head, says many water-related emergencies can be prevented by planning ahead, choosing safer places to swim and keeping children under constant supervision. The public is advised to swim only where lifeguards are on duty and to stay within the designated flags.
People should also learn how to respond in a rip current: do not try to swim against it, stay calm, float, raise an arm to draw attention and swim, if possible, parallel to the coast until you are out of the current. Alcohol should be avoided before or while swimming or boating, while a properly fitting life jacket should be worn during boating, rowing or fishing. People should also never turn their back on the sea when standing on rocks or fishing from the shoreline.
Parents and carers are specifically reminded that drowning often happens silently and that young children must stay within arm's reach when they are in or near water. The NSRI requests that people save 112, the national emergency number, and its emergency operations centre on 087 094 9774 on their cellphones. If someone is in trouble in the water, a lifeguard or the NSRI must be called and people should not enter the water without a flotation device to try to rescue someone.
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
