With beaches well visited over the weekend, lifeguards came to the rescue of a swimmer who found herself in difficulty at Kogel Bay on Sunday afternoon. In a separate incident six swimmers escaped a rip current in the same location later that day. Since the re-opening of beaches last week, visiting the sandy shores of Cape Town is once again a popular outdoor activity, however the risk of an increase in drownings due to swimming in undesignated areas where lifeguards are not on duty, remains an ever growing concern.
Thousands of residents made use of the summer weather to visit their favourite beach over the weekend and lifeguards were kept busy. City of Cape Town beach lifeguards are officially on duty at designated beaches from 10:00 until 18:00 daily.
On Sunday, 7 February 2021, lifeguards on duty at Kogel Bay Caves, a popular beach on the scenic Clarens Drive, responded to an incident where two women who were swimming began to struggle in the water. Whilst trying to assist each other, one found herself swept up by the strong rip current. Fortunately, City Lifeguards were on the scene and performed the rescue quickly and efficiently. Once on land, the patient was placed in recovery position as water aspirated from her lungs, however no CPR was required allowing the patient to be cleared on the scene.
Kogel Bay is known for its rip currents and swimming there can be dangerous. This is just one example of an undesignated swimming area where drowning related incidents are on the rise, which can be avoided. For a detailed list of swimming and non-swimming beaches that are patrolled by lifeguards please visit the City’s Beaches listing page.
‘We would like to commend the swift action by the lifeguards who rescued the swimmers and prevented what could have been a tragic incident. Beachgoers are reminded that safety is paramount and everyone should adhere to the safety protocols. Parents should also note their responsibility to look after their children when visiting a beach. Our Recreation and Parks Department staff and lifeguards work closely to ensure that beaches remain safe open spaces,’ said the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.
The City noted that there are still a lot of beachgoers who do not wear a mask and adhere to the Alert Level 3 regulations. This is disappointing and does not set a good example of following safety protocols.
The City would once again like to remind residents of the four golden rules of summer:
- Do not drink and swim
- Do not leave children unsupervised
- Do be aware of rip currents
- Swim only between the red and yellow flags, where lifeguards are present
‘ Although we are glad that the beaches reopened and that residents can once again spend some time in the outdoors, it remains everyone’s responsibility to adhere to the beach safety protocols which include protocols with regards to COVID-19. It remains compulsory to wear a face mask, to keep social distancing and to sanitise regularly. It’s not only about protecting yourself but other people on the beach as well. Safety is everyone’s business – let us keep our beaches safe, ‘ said Councillor Badroodien.