PINK RESCUE BUOY
helps to save a life
W
HEN LOCAL VOLUNTEER lifeguard Tristan de Swardt headed down to the beach at Herolds Bay on 25 August, his intention was to watch the waves and catch up with friends. As was his habit, he parked behind the lifeguard tower. Once he was on the beach, he noticed a group of local teenagers swimming in the sea where the swimming flags were usually set up – an area Tristan knew to be safe. As long as they stayed away from the rocks, he thought to himself, they’d be okay. But as Tristan walked towards the rocks with a friend, the group of boys followed them. Below, the sea was rough and angry: good for wave watching but not for swimming. A while later, Tristan and his friend decided to walk back to the beach. As he 18 |
SEA RESCU E SU MME R 2020
passed the teenagers, he heard them talking about jumping off the rocks into the sea. Tristan was alarmed and he approached the group. ‘Have you done this before?’ he asked. ‘You need to be strong swimmers to be able to handle these currents.’ ‘Ja, ja, we have,’ the boys laughed in reply. Feeling that he’d done what he could, Tristan returned to the beach. As he did so, the first boy jumped in. Immediately he got swept up in the surf, with the currents pulling him out to sea. Tristan could see the youngster trying to fight the current and getting battered against the rocks, so he started wading in from the beach, testing the strength of the current. It was strong; he’d need his flippers.
PHOTOGRAPHS: UNSPLASH, SUPPLIED
Herolds Bay is one of the most popular beaches along the Garden Route. It’s also one of the areas where NSRI has placed Pink Rescue Buoys that can be used as flotation during an emergency. In August this year, it proved invaluable. By Cherelle Leong
