People have been urged to follow the instructions of life savers when swimming at beaches. This is the call from the founder of the Siyasindisa Academy, Charles Khumalo after three people drowned at Durban’s Bay of Plenty beach on Saturday.
Seventeen other bathers were injured when a freak wave swept swimmers into the ocean. About 100 swimmers were involved in the incident that saw 35 lifeguards carrying out a mass rescue attempt.
Khumalo has encouraged people to only swim at beaches where life guards are on duty.
“Make sure that you find an area where there are lifeguards, that’s where you are allowed to swim. They come in the morning they patrol and check. As we know one big freak wave came and caused a problem. Look for the area where there is lifeguards. I advise people to listen to life guards all the time. Lifeguards know when conditions changes. They know when there is rip current,” says Khumalo.
Khumalo has advice for bathers in case there is a freak wave.
“So what’s going to happen to you when there’s a big wave coming, you going to panic, don’t panic. What you can do when the wave is here, try and swim with the wave. You can use that freak wave to come out of water. But I understand that sometimes you going to find more than a hundred people swimming in the water. Just try and swim with the wave, don’t hold kids, don’t hold other people because you are putting those people in trouble,” Khumalo adds.
NSRI drowning prevention and water safety campaign:
