Sea Rescue sets new record in drowning prevention

Statistics recently released by the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) painted a grim picture of South Africa’s drowning numbers.

The study, conducted between 2016 and 2021, found that 1 477 South Africans, mostly young children, drown each year, with this number expected to increase.

“Teaching children how to stay safe around water is critical to reducing the burden of drownings,” said Dr Jill Fortuin who heads up the NSRI’s Drowning Prevention Department.

“In August, we achieved a record number of 120 000 lessons taught across all nine provinces – a huge achievement for our NPO.”

But the work does not stop there as Jill explains: “We are well on our way to achieving our target of 750 000 this year, and we are gearing up our plans to hit our goal of a million children taught next year.”

The NSRI has 39 instructors on the Drowning Prevention team, who raise awareness about the dangers of water; what to do if someone gets into trouble, how to perform bystander CPR, and who to call for help.

Since the project’s inception in 2006, it has reached over four million people with these life-saving skills.

“At a cost of just R10 to teach a child to be water-safe, it is the support and generosity of thousands of individuals and partners who have made this achievement possible and will continue to help us strive to hit that one million mark in 2024,” concluded Jill.

For more information, visit www.nsri.org.za

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