BAYWATCH

THE RESCUERS IT’S BEEN 31 YEARS SINCE DAVID HASSELHOFF AND THE BUXOM PAMELA ANDERSON BOUNDED INTO VIEW, IN SKIMPY RED SWIMSUITS, CLASPING RESCUE TORPEDOES. BUT THE TELEVISION SENSATION THAT BAYWATCH CREATED HIGHLIGHTED THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER SAFETY.

Two things will have been guaranteed over the 2019 festive season: the daily tally of road deaths will have been a feature of daily radio and television news broadcasts and at some point a television news reporter will have been filmed at a coastal location, with the beach absolutely packed with South Africans enjoying a cooling dip in the ocean.

Sadly, there will also have been a report of either mass rescues because of the congestion on the beach and in the water – or at least one drowning.

The fact that South Africa’s rate of drowning or water death at 3 per 100 000 is low when contrasted with 13.1 per 100 000 for Africa as a whole, doesn’t make much difference to the fact that it’s still the second leading cause of accidental death for children. Water safety is a problem in South Africa and it’s not only children who are at risk.

Lifeguards, professional and amateur, clad in their red shorts, yellow t-shirts and broad-brimmed sun hats can be found at beaches from Fish Hoek and Clifton to Plett, Jeffrey’s Bay, Scottburgh, Durban and Richards Bay – as well as at local swimming pools throughout the land.

These rescuers are supervisors and are there to ensure the safety of everyone in the water. According to American statistics, lifeguards prevent four to five times as many drownings as actually occur purely because of their vigilance. A shrill whistle blast is one of the sounds that forms part and parcel of a day at the beach. Those whistles mean that folks have strayed beyond the safe swimming area and need to be herded back between the beacons. Those yellow and red flag poles are placed strategically to ensure that bathers aren’t caught in rip currents and swept out to sea. Nowadays lifeguards have a host of rescue aids at their fingertips: inflatable boats powered by outboard engines, wet bikes, Malibu paddle boards and rescue buoys. But 120 years ago that wasn’t the case. The historic development of lifeguarding makes interesting reading. that activities began locally after the visit in 1913 of Sir William Henry of the Royal Life Saving Society. KwaZulu-Natal had the first lifesaving clubs which were begun in 1927 but a year later, two belt reels were donated to the Cape lifesavers by the Australian Bondi club. Each reel had 500 yards of line and these first two sets of kit were stationed at Fish Hoek sports club and the False Bay Swimming and Lifesaving club. In 2002 the Surf Lifesaving Club and South African Surf Lifesaving Union merged to form Lifesaving South Africa, the

The Lifesaving Association of South Africa activities began locally after the visit in 1913 of Sir William Henry of the Royal Life Saving Society. KwaZulu-Natal had the first lifesaving clubs.

As far back as 1804 a lifebelt was developed, invented by WH Mallison – but it was dismissed by the Royal Navy since it “took up too much room and the navy did not want sailors to swim, in case they decided to desert,” Wikipedia reports.

The Patent Office records that in 1877 a cork lifejacket was invented. And in 1891, the Swimmers Life Saving Society was begun by two members of the Amateur Swimming Association of Great Britain. This was the forerunner of the Royal Life Saving Society. It’s recorded in the history of the Lifesaving Association of South Africa umbrella body which oversees all lifesaving clubs, inland and coastal. It plays a vital role in training a new generation of younger lifesavers through the Nipper programme as well as training and certifying both volunteer and professional lifeguards who do duty at pools and beaches during the holiday season.

It was in America that lifeguards became so popular around the turn of the previous century. One man, George Douglas Freeth, became a legend in California as the man who literally walked on water. Having been born in Hawaii in

1883, Freeth grew up swimming and surfing – but he became a sensation in Redondo Beach, California in the early 1900s since no-one had ever seen someone ride the waves on a wooden board! Freeth was a powerful swimmer responsible for saving many lives, notably those of seven Japanese fishermen prevented from drowning in stormy seas when their boat overturned. Freeth dived off the pier and swam to the aid of the men while his own crews were trying to launch a life boat from the beach, and constantly being driven back by the pounding waves. For his actions he was awarded the Congressional Medal for Heroism. At a time when swimming was still a novelty, those who took to the water in their bathing suits generally did a leisurely breaststroke or side stroke. Freeth introduced what became known as the Australian front crawl, one of the first strokes children learn to swim nowadays.

Freeth was not only California’s first official lifeguard, he also trained

an entire generation of lifeguards as well as popularising swimming and surfing. Because he accepted payment for his service Freeth was disqualified from swimming at the 1912 Olympics. He died at the young age of 35 in 1919 during the Spanish Flu epidemic.

The big swimming winner at the 1912 Olympics was fellow Hawaiian Duke Kahanamoku who won six gold medals during his career. He is credited with developing the paddle board which is a mainstay of the modern lifesavers toolkit, allowing them to quickly get to swimmers in distress in the surf.

Anyone watching the slowmotion opening sequence of Baywatch (either the original TV series or the modern movie remake with Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron) couldn’t help but notice the rescue can or rescue tube which they invariably carried.

This device was developed by an American lifeguard in Santa Monica, Pete Peterson in 1935. The original was

an inflatable tube with a strap, line and harness. Peterson updated the device in 1964, using foam rubber rather than an inflatable version. Row boats and belt reels, the lifesaving tools of years gone by, have been consigned to the scrap heap in terms of practicality but are occasionally still used for lifesaving demonstrations. Inflatables, wet bikes and paddle boards are more efficient but there is still a need for an alert pair of eyes to spot an emergency situation from a lifeguard station or tower on the beach or at the poolside. Heed the whistle when on the beach and stay between the red and yellow beacons and flags.

WATER SAFETY TIPS Find the flags. Lifesavers will have worked out the safest place for people to swim, away from deeper waters or rip tides. Swim between the beacons. Read the safety notices posted wherever you’re going to swim – at the pool, tidal pool or beach. Respect the lifeguard and heed the whistle. If you hear a blast, look up to see who it’s aimed at. If you’ve drifted with the tide, it might be you ... Assess the conditions. If the surf is pounding, the waves are big and you’re not the most confident or fit swimmer, don’t go into the water. “If in doubt, don’t go out,” is the Aussie mantra. If you do get into trouble, try to remain calm and float. Raise one arm in the air and keep it raised. It’s easier for a lifeguard to spot. If no-one can see you, no-one can save you. If caught in a rip current, go with the flow. Don’t try and fight it. Currents are circular and what takes you out will bring you back in again. If you’re a strong swimmer and believe you can swim your way out of trouble, swim at right angles to the current rather than directly against it.