NSRI Sea Rescue Summer 2019

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HOW AMOS DLEZI SAVED A LIFE

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CO N T E N T S SUMMER 2 0 1 9

SAVING LIVES. CHANGING LIVES. CREATING FUTURES.

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LETTERS

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TRAPPED Kommetjie crew help release a trapped seal and a loggerhead turtle that is now recovering at Two Oceans Aquarium.

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OVER THE EDGE Station 23 (Wilderness) and AMS helicopter crew assist a hiker trapped in a rocky crevice.

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A TEAM EFFORT NSRI’s Emergency Operations Centre has been launched and is now an integral part of coordinating rescue efforts.

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TO THE RESCUE We meet Amos Dlezi from Port Edward and hear the story of how he rescued a man caught in a rip.

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KIDS’ CLUB Everything you and your children need to know for a fun – and safe – day near the water.

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IN THE NEWS Fundraising drives, events and station news.

STAND A CHANCE TO WIN SEE PAGE 25

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INTO THE SURF: NEW JETRIB LAUNCHED A new addition to the surf rescue fleet.

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SAFETY TIPS FOR THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS Why it’s important to adopt a water-safety mindset around coastal and inland waters.

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JOINING FORCES Andrew Ingram spent the weekend with the dedicated group of individuals who make up the newly formed Jeffreys Bay Lifeguard team.

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THE PELAGIC ZOO Naturalist Georgina Jones takes us on a fascinating journey just below the water’s surface.

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STATION DIRECTORY

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DO YOUR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING ONLINE! SEE PAGE 29

SEA RESCUE SUMMER 2019

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FROM THE HELM

THE CREW THE PUBLISHING PARTNERSHIP MANAGING EDITOR Wendy Maritz ART DIRECTOR Ryan Manning ADVERTISING Neal Esau EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Mark Beare PRODUCTION DIRECTOR John Morkel EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Susan Newham-Blake ADDRESS PO Box 15054, Vlaeberg 8018 TEL +27 21 424 3517

T

HE BEGINNING OF SEPTEMBER started summer with a bang as hot conditions resulted in a throng of beachgoers all intent on cooling down in the ocean! We’ve had an early start and I guess we can anticipate a hot summer that will break records.

Winter wasn’t its usual quiet self and crews have been relatively busy, which was a bit surprising although it is good to keep busy and stay current.

The NSRI Emergency Operations Centre is up and running 24/7 to ensure that we capture all emergencies, dispatch to rescues as quickly as possible and relieve some of the administrative load on stations. We have recruited a great group of call takers who are busy learning the ropes and getting used to our new operational software in preparation for the season. The information they capture, analyse and report on will be hugely helpful in targeting interventions.

The Pink Rescue Buoys continue to be a tool that saves lives – 46 to date, which is amazing – and as the evidence mounts, I think it will be difficult for municipalities to ignore. I grew up in an age in which every beach had a line and life vest, which were later replaced by yellow torpedo buoys … and then they all disappeared.

Somebody dropped the buoy! We need to put them back, not only at every beach, but next to every water body where people swim.

As the heat picks up and children head for water, we need to spread the message: parents need to be close to their under-five-year-olds, children must be closely supervised near water, swimming pools should be covered and fenced, lifejackets must be worn, don’t go in the water if you can’t swim when the water is deeper than you are, don’t dive into dirty water where you can’t see the bottom, don’t drink alcohol at sea or near water, teach children to swim early, make sure an adult is close to a child in a blow-up boat or toy, get children to wear wetsuits or buoyancy aids, swim at lifeguarded beaches, look for and avoid rip currents on beaches, teach your children emergency numbers, and learn basic rescue skills and CPR for yourself.

We want to have a fun-filled, safe summer!

FAX +27 21 424 3612 EMAIL wmaritz@tppsa.co.za

SEA RESCUE OFFICE +27 21 434 4011 WEB www.searescue.org.za PR/COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER Megan Hughes CELL 083 443 7319 EMAIL meganh@searescue.org.za COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Craig Lambinon CELL 082 380 3800 EMAIL communications@ searescue.org.za PRODUCED FOR THE NSRI BY The Publishing Partnership (Pty) Ltd, PO Box 15054, Vlaeberg 8018.

Copyright: The Publishing Partnership (Pty) Ltd 2019. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without the prior permission of the editor. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not the NSRI. Offers are available while stocks last.

PRINTING CTP Printers Cape Town ISSN 1812-0644

DR CLEEVE ROBERTSON, CEO CAPE TOWN: NSRI, 1 Glengariff Road, Three Anchor Bay 8001; PO Box 154, Green Point 8051 Tel: +27 21 434 4011 | Fax: +27 21 434 1661 Visit our website at www.searescue.org.za or email us at info@searescue.org.za www.facebook.com/SeaRescue

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SEA RESCUE SUMMER 2019

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LETTERS WINNING LETTER

SEA RESCUE

Thank you, Wanda, for sharing your story with us. Your books and hoodie are on their way.

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A BINNELANDER’S PERSPECTIVE

HOW AMOS DLEZI SAVED A LIFE READ OUR COVER STORY ON PAGE 16.

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pink rescue buoys

big-wave surfers and friends get together to raise funds

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SEA RESCUE SUMMER 2019

NSRI MEMBE

RS

When I received the link to the winter issue of Sea Rescue magazine I thought about a cartoon I saw recently where a character stares at the ocean and mentions how meaningful it is because they grew up so far from this vast mass of water.

As a binnelander who was born and raised in Bloemfontein, I had little interaction with the ocean in my daily life. When I started studying and met fellow students who had spent their entire lives in and around the sea on boats and as lifesavers and volunteers, I couldn’t help feeling envious. To me, beach views have been special occasions reserved for family holidays or school tours – and, like typical Free Staters, my siblings and I would often swim, even on days when the water was far too cold for any sane local. I remain careful and a little overly cautious of boats.

In time my envy of my coastdwelling friends subsided and my love of the incredible beaches, hiking trails and hidden gems of the Garden

Route, especially, only grew with each visit.

As someone who is not necessarily the strongest swimmer and not very knowledgeable about watercraft, it is incredibly reassuring to see the presence of the NSRI along our beaches.

The pink buoys, especially, are a great initiative. When I read the magazine and see the impact the volunteers make, it really astounds me what can be done if people have such passion, sense of duty and professionalism as all the people who dedicate their time to the NSRI. I think it is amazing that a country with a coast as massive, challenging, dangerous and beautiful can be so well protected for all of us.

Thank you for giving all of us who love the coast, even if we see it only once every few years, a sense of safety, belonging and pride.

PS. I bought a grey NSRI hoodie for my husband, who loves it and practically lives in it during the Free State winter.

Wanda Verster Odendaal

IMAGE: DR BEREND MAARSINGH

PHOTOGRAPH: ANDREW INGRAM

IMAGE: Dr Berend Maarsingh

AN EVENTFUL DELIVERY I read with great interest about the delivery of Alick Rennie from Cape Town to Durban. It brought back happy memories of a yacht delivery from Langebaan to Port Elizabeth. I was on board to get sea miles for my yacht skipper’s licence. This was many years ago, before cellphones and GPS, so we had to rely on using a sextant and doing running fixes to establish our progress utilising charts. Needless to say, our compass was also very important as we had to consider true north to magnetic north to be on the correct heading. May I ask, is all this still being practised, with GPS facilities at one’s finger tips?

No sooner had we left Langebaan when we noticed our motor was overheating due to a faulty impeller. There was very little wind, so we could not rely on sail power. Fortunately there was a spare impeller on board so we fitted it, but as we did not have a new gasket we ended up with a leak. Thus

we worked out a drill so that every two hours, with the change of watch, the new crew would monitor the leak and use the bilge pump if necessary.

This worked well until the bilge pump broke down. We then discovered an electric pump switch and switched it on in the belief that this would solve our problem. It wasn’t long before we got a call from below: we were taking on water and the floorboards were afloat. So now it was bucket drill to get the water out of the boat as we headed for Hout Bay harbour as quickly as we could. On investigation, it turned out the pump switch we’d found was for a pump attached to a hose in the locker, which the previous

owner had used for washing the boat.

So we were pumping in water and bailing it out with buckets.

On proceeding with our voyage after a new pump was fitted, we had to round Cape Point. We had quite a swell and headwinds, so our heading was insufficient to round the point.

There was a great difference between our compass heading and our way made good. Once again it shows the importance of proper navigation. It took three attempts to finally round the point into False Bay. Sailing along the South Coast and on to Mossel Bay, we had great swells.

When on the helm it is not advisable to look back as this could affect

LETTERS

WRITE TO US AND WIN! The writer of the winning letter published in the Autumn 2020 issue of Sea Rescue will receive a Sea Rescue commemorative hoodie and a copy of ORCA: The Day the Great White Sharks Disappeared

by Richard Peirce.

In ORCA: The Day the Great White Sharks Disappeared Richard Peirce examines what at first appears to be the unexplained disappearance of sharks from the Gansbaai area.

Sightings of orcas and shark carcasses washed up on the beaches provide the first leads to the possible causes and culprits.

Richard Peirce is best known as a shark conservationist and is the former chairman of the Shark Conservation Society and the Shark Trust – this has been his main focus for over 30 years. He has authored several books on conservation topics, including Giant Steps (about elephants in captivity), Cuddle Me, Kill Me (about captive lion breeding and the canned hunting industry), and Nicole (about a shark’s marathon journey) – all published by Struik Nature.

Email your letters to info@ searescue.org.za or post them to Sea Rescue magazine, PO Box 15054, Vlaeberg 8018. (Letters may be shortened, and the winning letter is chosen at the editor’s discretion.)

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SEA RESCUE SUMMER 2019

your concentration and cause you to broach. Looking back when not on the helm, it was quite frightening to see the following seas. The lumen of the flame burning off the excess gas from Petrocol could be seen from miles away at night. This served as great encouragement, as it meant we were going the right way.

Eventually after four days at sea we made it to Plettenberg Bay. What a treat it was to get out of the heavy seas and have a peaceful night in the lea of the wind and swells. The next morning we set sail with the spinnaker flying proudly and Plettenberg Bay fading out in the distance. The journey on to Port Elizabeth was very pleasant after this, with a calmer sea and following winds. After six days of sailing we were glad to be on shore but it took quite a while to stabilise as we had got so accustomed to the movement of the boat. When removing the ear plasters I’d been wearing to prevent seasickness, I found I had put them on back to front when leaving Langebaan. No wonder I was seasick on the voyage!

Lessons to be learnt: The four Cs. Consideration. Take all aspects into consideration before embarking on your voyage. Communication. Advise all parties of your route and itineraries, with contact numbers. Care. Take care in all you do. Don’t make reckless decisions. Confidence. Be confident in what you are doing by being well trained and prepared.

I know I am preaching to the professionals but I must ask two questions: 1. You went out to sea in a heavy fog.

Was this for training? I would have waited rather for the fog to clear.

2. You mention that you did not stock up with rations on Day 5.

Willy de Jong, retired skipper Thank you for sharing your story with us, Willy. To answer your questions: 1. We went to sea in the fog for training and there was a gap in the weather for the trip up the coast. 2. Due to our late arrival in East London, we used the tinned rations we had on board for the final leg of our trip to Durban. (Mark Hughes)

NEXT GENERATION The letter from Bev and David Knoesen in the Winter 2019 edition inspired me to share this photo [above] taken on the day it was received (26 July 2019), as I sat with my great-grandson Lincoln and explained what we were seeing in your excellent magazine.

As he is only five years old and has not yet learnt to read, it was up to ‘the old man of the sea’ (an 85-year-old former co-ordinator for Station 9 [Gordon’s Bay] in the late 20th century) to explain what it was all about.

Lincoln visited Station 9 during an open day a few months ago and continues to find the sea interesting but frightening. Keep up the good work.

Brian Atherton EAST LONDON MEMORIES For interest, on 13 August 1974 (45 years ago), the Oranjeland ran aground in foul weather just off East London. I was personally involved directly as a swimmer in those days at Station 7. To this day I still have contact with the ship’s then cargo officer, Captain Mike Baunach. We have visited him and his family in Hamburg, Germany, and in Greece.

He and his wife have been out here on a number of occasions. The permanent master of the vessel and

the then relieving master at the time of grounding have both passed away.

My friend Captain Baunach has since written a book in German that is due to be published.

I was involved weeks afterwards, taking surveyors, salvors and insurers to and from the vessel on the then George Walker. I later became the training officer for Station 7, enrolled my brother-in-law as crew, and later my brother as a junior. As crew were scarce in those days, we also had to enrol at least 10 paying members each to secure our own personalised red wetsuits.

When the station’s boathouse was built at the top end of the harbour on the Buffalo River, my dad did all the plumbing, showers, toilets and full water works for the base in his spare time with the help of the crew, and later received a Directors’ Letter Of Thanks.

Dan Dalton, former coxswain, Station 7 (East London)

SIMPLY THE BEST! My sincere thanks to NSRI for my gift of a hoodie and the book Beachcombing in South Africa, which I am displaying in the photo [above] taken at NSRI Station 15 (Mossel Bay). David and I had an informative guided tour with Tristin Thomson, a dedicated volunteer.

After an hour of wonderful information and new experiences, I was moved

to tears. The training is rigorous and comprehensive for all members.

Thank you to the station commander, Andre Fraser, and all the volunteer members everywhere for risking your lives to save lives in an honourable and brave manner. We are proud of you and super impressed.

You are simply the best.

Beverley Knoesen

animal rescue

O

trapped Kommetjie crew were called upon to help release a trapped seal and a loggerhead turtle. The story has a happy ending, says Cherelle Leong.

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Sea Rescue SUMMER 2019

Kommetjie crew work tirelessly to free a seal and loggerhead turtle from the ghost fishing net that entangled them.

Turtles typically don’t do very well in Cape coastal waters – it’s simply too cold for them. They require the warmer ocean currents with temperatures around 20˚C and above. When sea turtles wash up, they’re usually weak, dehydrated and cold, and need to be checked medically and rehabilitated to ensure they’re at full strength by the time they are returned to the ocean.

No sooner had Maryke finished the call to the aquarium when Ian called again. ‘The turtle is alive but weak,’ he said. This was good news indeed. And plans were set in motion to rescue the two animals from the fishing net.

Maryke met the Kommetjie crew in the parking lot at Noordhoek Beach, where they had permission to access the beach to get to where the entangled animals were. Both animals were completely wrapped up in the net and, whereas the turtle was docile, the seal was trying everything to get free. This was not going to be a simple procedure.

The rescue crew would not be able to get close to the seal, which was very distressed and active. Fortunately, using the long poles from the whale disentanglement kit would make cutting the lines possible from a safe distance.

The Kommetjie crew had to make strategic decisions about which lines to cut first. Cutting the wrong line could free up the seal to struggle more, possibly causing injury or allowing it to get away while still entangled.

Working slowly and methodically, the team made more than 20 cuts

Photographs: courtesy of two oceans aquarium

n 31 July 2019, Two Oceans Aquarium curator Maryke Musson was just heading up Chapman’s Peak Drive from the Noordhoek side when she received a call from Station 26 (Kommetjie) station commander Ian Klopper.

Some people had come across a fishing net washed up on Noordhoek beach with one very distressed seal entangled in it, as well as a turtle that wasn’t moving. Maryke immediately called the aquarium, informing them of two things: firstly, she wouldn’t be able to come to work as planned and, secondly, that they may have to prepare to receive an injured turtle.

Photographs: courtesy of two oceans aquarium

The cuts required to free animals trapped in nets have to be applied carefully in order to safeguard both animals and crew.

until just a few lines remained. Now would come the difficult part: cutting the lines around the seal’s neck. The decision was made to place a towel over the animal’s head to calm it down – and this worked, fortunately.

After the final cut was made, the seal was assessed for any injuries, and released. It immediately made its way into the sea, jumping through the waves, clearly ecstatic to be free again. The seal appeared to be in surprisingly good condition. It’s thought that the animals hadn’t been trapped in the net for very long.

The rescuers could now turn their attention to the turtle. Once again a slow, strategic and methodical approach was required until eventually, after about another 10 cuts, the turtle was free. The cutting process was completed in less than half an hour.

The female loggerhead turtle was then transported to the aquarium,

where she was weighed and given a full medical, including blood tests. This procedure is necessary to check for any infection or illness that might require specialised treatment. The aquarium team also warmed her up very slowly. Once placed in a tank, she started swimming slowly at first and then seemed to settle easily into her temporary new home. At 47kg, Anette (as she had been named by the Kommetjie Sea Rescue crew) is a subadult loggerhead turtle. The average weight of adult loggerhead turtles is about 135kg.

One of the biggest challenges in rehabilitating turtles is getting them to feed. Loggerhead turtles don’t need to eat often and can go for two to three months without food, especially when exposed to colder environments. This causes their digestive systems to shut down. At the time of writing, Anette was yet to self-feed. More tests were run to ensure there were no obstructions in her digestive system and all appeared to be clear. The team will continue to encourage her to self-feed, but will keep her hydrated and also administer required nutritional support through tube feeding. It is hoped that she will bounce back from this ordeal and be ready for release by summer.

The aquarium crew will then take her 20 to 30 nautical miles off Cape Point, where the warmer ocean currents flow, and release her back into the ocean. She will be fitted with a tracking device so that the aquarium can follow her movements for 12 to 18 months until the tag stops transmitting, most often due to the battery pack running down.

For Maryke it had been a memorable morning on Noordhoek beach. ‘It was amazing to see and experience the dedication and professionalism of the Kommetjie Sea Rescue crew,’ she says. ‘They worked calmly and cohesively, and were so incredibly respectful in the way they handled the animals. I know Sea Rescue’s mission is to save lives at sea and it is lovely to know this extends beyond humans to marine life too.

‘The Two Oceans Aquarium is truly privileged to be Gold Partners of the National Sea Rescue Institute and to be able to work with them when the need arises.’

S e a R e s c u e SUMMER 2 0 1 9

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N SATURDAY 10 August 2019, Stuart van Blerk and a friend were exploring the rocky shoreline of Victoria Bay, near George, on the Garden Route. They’d followed a path that led up cliffs overlooking the bay, and Stuart settled himself on a rock to admire the view while his friend inspected some of the flowers jutting out amongst the rocks.

Wanting to see what had piqued her interest, Stuart stood up from the rock where he had been sitting and walked towards the cliff edge where she was. As he crouched down, his foot slipped out from under him and the next thing he knew he was sliding straight over the edge.

As he fell, Stuart scrambled for something to hold onto, his grasping hands finding nothing but air. He recalls thinking to himself, ‘Don’t hit your head, protect your head!’ Then he saw his glasses fly, the lenses popping out of the frames and shattering on the rocks. Down he went, bouncing off the cliff face at least once, until he landed hard on his back on the jagged rocks below.

OVER THE

EDGE

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SEA RESCUE SUMMER 2019

PHOTOGRAPHS: SUPPLIED

A collaborative effort resulted in a good outcome for a hiker trapped in a rocky crevice, reports Cherelle Leong.

Photographs: supplied

Stuart tried to stand but pain seared through his back and chest.

He tried to breathe and couldn’t, until eventually after about 40 seconds he managed a short, sharp intake of air. He tried calling out to his friend, telling her he couldn’t breathe.

Then, certain that he had a back injury, he pulled himself up onto a flattish rock, hugging it as he lay face down on the cold, slick surface. While his friend flagged down some surfers that were in the water, asking for their help, two thoughts circulated through Stuart’s mind. All he wanted was for the pain to stop and to be able to get off the rocks. A warm, safe hospital bed and dose of morphine would be a good start.

Fortunately the wife of one of the surfers, a medical doctor, was relaxing on the nearby beach. She was one of the first on the scene to assist in stabilising and treating Stuart. Given his difficulty breathing, it was assumed he had broken ribs and possibly punctured a lung. This proved to be true when the Metro paramedics and the Station 23 (Wilderness) Sea Rescue crew arrived on the scene.

Meanwhile, Wilderness station commander Robbie van Helsdingen had received a call about the incident.

As soon as he learnt of the extent of Stuart’s injuries and his location, he activated the AMS helicopter, knowing it would be dangerous to try to extract him any other way. As the medics worked on stabilising Stuart, some of the Wilderness crew were tasked with securing a landing zone

for the helicopter. A nearby campsite was the ideal location. The wide open grassy space, securely fenced off, had the added bonus of being unoccupied. Station 23 had launched its 4.2m RIB, which was standing by just behind the breakers at the bottom of the cliff face.

By now Stuart’s body temperature was dropping quickly and all he could think of was that he wanted to get off the cold wet rocks. He was in shorts and a T-shirt, and although it was a warm day, the sun didn’t reach down to the rocks where he was stranded.

But then the wait was over. The AMS helicopter arrived. A Bauman bag was lowered and Stuart was carefully secured before being hoisted up and taken to the campsite, where he was prepared for transport to a hospital in George, a 10-minute flight away. He was accompanied by the AMS paramedic.

Stuart is lucky. Although the fall shattered the L1 vertebra of his spine and broke six ribs on his left side, puncturing his lung, he has made a very good recovery. He’s walking normally and the doctors have been impressed with how quickly he has healed. Things could have been much worse. The immediate medical assistance he received from the doctor who happened to be nearby and from the paramedics went a long way to helping him make a strong recovery.

A special thanks to the surfers who helped raise the initial alarm and to all the rescue crew involved for their collaborative efforts.

Sea Rescue SUMMER 2019

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nsri’s new eoc EOC operators Randall Cupido, Marc de la Porte, Denver Jordaan, Rizia Khan and Sivuyile Ruka.

Operations manager Brett Ayres introduces us to NSRI’s Emergency Operations Centre and the important work it does in coordinating rescue efforts in South Africa.

A TEAM EFFORT

‘S

ea Rescue Emergency, how may I help you?’ Rizia Khan says confidently in response to an incoming emergency call in the NSRI’s new Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), based at NSRI’s headquarters in Cape Town.

It is a late-afternoon call from a bystander who is concerned about individuals stranded on exposed rocks, with darkness approaching and the tide coming in quickly. If emergency services are not activated soon, those people could be in serious trouble, is the thought that crosses Rizia’s mind as she gets to work.

Rizia and her shift partner, Sivuyile Ruka, quickly confirm the location and the pertinent details before they send the information to the nearest NSRI station, law enforcement, emergency medical services and lifeguards. They also update the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) and the local Port Control.

Luckily for the people concerned, they were successfully assisted shortly afterwards by rescue

swimmers from Station 2 (Bakoven).

And while the rescue was not a dramatic one, lives were saved that day.

‘What is really good about this role is that we are involved in the call from start to end,’ says Randall Cupido, one of the operators. ‘You get the call, dispatch the resources and monitor and support the rescue, right till the time the patients are in the ambulance, and the boats are washed and reports signed off. You feel part of the rescue team.’

Many rescue stories revolve around dramatic rescues involving brave rescuers fighting against ridiculous odds and taking risks to achieve a nearly impossible rescue. But beyond ‘the tip of the spear’, as the saying goes, there is another side to rescue operations. Without taking anything away from the importance of the rescuers, the EOC is proving that lives are also saved by effective systems, partnerships and communication channels – in other words, the shaft, the hand, the brain and the body behind the tip of the spear.

*SafeTrx is a vessel-tracking smartphone application.

The EOC is busy. Staff monitor all NSRI station operational WhatsApp groups (where stations communicate rescue-related information throughout an operation) on a screen via WhatsApp Web. This information is transferred to the NSRI’s newly launched SeaWeb Incident Management System.

In addition, the EOC monitors local VHF radio channels, providing shore control back-up to local stations. They also have direct communications with all the Class 1 vessels around the country via trunking radio. Operators also keep a close eye on tracking systems (AIS, Spot Track and Netstar), being alerted every time an NSRI asset launches around the country. From this, they take note of the location and progress of vessels and vehicles while they are out in harsh conditions during rescues and training, ensuring the safety of our volunteers.

They also receive the emergency and overdue notifications for SafeTrx* and have been trained to use the diverse resources that make Sea Rescue SUMMER 2019

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nsri’s new eoc

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Sea Rescue SUMMER 2019

police, fire and medical. NSRI is part of the 112-emergency phone number network, so when a caller dials 112 from a landline or Telkom Mobile number, they are answered by voice prompts instructing them to press ‘1 for police, 2 for medical, 3 for fire and 4 for Sea Rescue Emergency Services’. Pressing 4 takes you directly to our EOC. If dialled from Vodacom, MTN and other mobile networks, a 112 call goes to a call centre, which should connect you to the EOC should your emergency be related to Sea Rescue.

‘It is by collaboration and early communication with other emergency services and organisations that lives are saved,’ says NSRI Communications Manager Craig Lambinon, who has

DIAL

112

from left: Operations Manager Brett Ayres, Communications Manager Craig Lambinon with Rizia Khan and Pozisa Zinja; Denver Jordaan is at the ready.

played a major part in getting the EOC up to speed. ‘The EOC assists the NSRI stations and volunteers by funnelling the communication networks into a single centre, creating a more streamlined channel of information to and from the broader emergency networks. It also assists with the necessary reporting and administration that goes with a rescue.

‘This means that rescuers can focus on the rescue effort and get the information and assistance they need when they need it.’

CONTACT NSRI

BY DIALING

112

The NSRI can be reached by dialling 112 (follow the voice prompts or ask the operator to connect you), or by dialling 087 094 9774.

If you reside in an area with an established rescue base, store the number on your cellphone so you have it in the event of an emergency.

(Station phone numbers appear at the back of this magazine.)

Photographs: supplied

our search-and-rescue efforts more effective. These include various online navigation, weather and search-andrescue decision support tools.

The training team at HQ ensured that the six operators went through an extensive training period before the centre went live in July 2019.

This process included familiarisation with all the aforementioned technical systems, as well as navigation, first aid, radio operations, the taking of emergency calls, rescue systems and running drills of various emergency rescue situations. ‘They went out on NSRI vessels, saw various NSRI stations, visited the Airforce and spent time at the MRCC, Cape Town Port Control and Telkom Marine Services,’ says NSRI National Training Manager Graeme Harding.

The six EOC operators, who mostly come from emergency medical services and disaster-management backgrounds, each bring unique strengths to the team. Marc de la Porte, for example, is currently serving as coxswain at Melkbosstrand Rescue Station, contributing valuable out-atsea experience.

Sea Rescue provides an essential national emergency service, along with the three other major services:

TO THE

RESCUE NSRI’s Drowning Prevention manager Andrew Ingram met with Amos Dlezi in Port Edward to hear the story behind the brave rescue of a man caught in a rip.

I

t’s lunch time when I pull into the parking lot at the beach in Port Edward. The tide is low and the northeaster is starting to blow. The sky is clear and, as is usual for winter in these parts, the temperature is hovering in the low 20s.

A car guard wearing an orange bib over his yellow golf shirt approaches

and waves me into a parking bay.

I see a flash of silver as he smiles at me. I recognise him from photographs that were sent to me, but as I walk towards him I say, ‘I am looking for Amos Dlezi.’

‘I am Amos,’ he says.

I explain that I have come to hear the story of how he rescued a man from the rip current on Port Edward Beach using a Pink Rescue Buoy, and I get that flash of silver again. Three front teeth have silver implants, making his grin pretty distinctive.

We walk to the edge of the parking area and Amos, 30, tells me the story.

‘I was sitting here watching the cars when these guys ran up to me.

They shouted, “Yeah, Amos, we need you. There are these two people who have a problem. They can’t swim.

They are in the current.”’

Amos points out a cluster of rocks that is close to the beach at low tide, but at high tide it would be 100m or so out.

Photographs: ANDREW INGRAM

Amos Dlezi was presented with a Sea Rescue Letter of Thanks for saving the life of a young man he did not know.

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Sea Rescue SUMMER 2019

r e a l- l i f e r e s c u e

what makes [the rip current] so dangerous, apart from its strength, is that it is right there at the spot where you start walking onto the sand. washing over his face. It is a classic drowning position. A person in this situation has seconds before they slip under the water.

Amos knew this. He also knew that he should not get too close to the man. There was a real danger of the casualty grabbing him, and then there might have been two drownings.

‘I threw the buoy to him, but he did not see. The second time I threw it, it landed very close to his head and he grabbed it,’ says Amos.

It took all of his strength to

swim the man out of the current and, using the waves, back to shore.

‘I was too tired,’ remembers Amos. But still he turned back to go help the other man. That was when he noticed the Sea Rescue jet ski being launched. Someone had called the NSRI emergency number and the cavalry had arrived.

Amos falls silent as he looks at The Gearbox, and I take the gap to ask him where he learnt to swim.

‘From surfing,’ is the answer.

Like so many youngsters in the area, he had taught himself to swim. His mission was to learn to surf and this combination of skills taught him to understand the ocean and – most importantly – to understand how rip currents work.

For one unnamed 19-year-old, the skills Amos Dlezi taught himself made the difference between life and death. And from his description, it was a very close call.

Photographs: ANDREW INGRAM

That is The Gearbox, he tells me.

That is where they were.

I know from previous visits to Port Edward that this rip running out at the start of the beach is a really nasty one. It is extremely powerful – and what makes it so dangerous, apart from its strength, is that it is right there at the spot where you start walking onto the sand.

Amos describes how he saw the two heads in the water and then ran for the Pink Rescue Buoy that he knew was hanging on its sign at the shop next to the Sea Rescue base. When he got down to the beach and started into the water he could no longer see them.

‘But the people on the rocks were shouting and pointing, so I knew where to swim,’ explains Amos. Using the current, it was only a few minutes to get to the first man.

‘He was finished. He had no power,’ says Amos, now becoming quite animated. He describes how the man was vertical in the water, with his head tilted back and water

Sea Rescue SUMMER 2019

| 17

TAKE TAKE THE THE SEARCH SEARCH OUT OUT OF OF SEARCH AND RESCUE FOR SEARCH AND RESCUE FOR FREE FREE

FEATURES INCLUDE: INCLUDE: •FEATURES An Emergency Call button which allows you to quickly make a distress call from the application An Emergency Call button which allows you to quickly make distress call from the application •• Share your real-time track with family and friends during youratrip •• Share track with and friends Share your your real-time current position fromfamily the home screenduring your trip Share your currentEmergency position from the home •• Choose individual Contacts for screen each trip instead of all contacts • Choose individual Emergency Contacts for each trip instead of all contacts

Download NSRI’s free RSA SafeTrx application Download freeand RSAGoogle SafeTrxPlay application from the NSRI’s Apple App Store. from the Apple App and Google Play Store.

For more info on RSA SafeTrx visit: www.searescue.org.za/safetrx/ For more info on RSA SafeTrx visit: www.searescue.org.za/safetrx/

CLUB K I D S CLUB KIDS Imisele, amanxweme olwandle, amadam nemilambo kubonakala ngathi ziindawo zolonwabo zokuya kuqubha kodwa zingajika ngokukhawuleza zibe ziindawo zobungozi kunye nentlekele ukuba awuzilungiselelanga.

Izifundo zokuNcedwa eLwandle zoKhuseleko eManzini [Sea Rescue Water Safety] zinika abantwana ithuba lokufunda malunga nobungozi iindawo zamanzi ezingabenza yaye ibalungiselela ukuba babenosuku lokonwaba nolukhuselekileyo.

Jonga

IINGOZI

Kufuneka usoloko uzigcine ukhuselekile ngaphambi kokuba uyokuqubha. Qiniseka ukuba akukho bungozi okunokwenzakalisa.

Ungazibona izinto eziyingozi kulomfanekiso?

SEA RESCUE SUMMER 2019

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P

PLAN/CWANGCISA Pakisha umthwalo wakho wohambo oluya elwandle.

a e v ha

PLAN L N 20 |

NEVER/UNGAZE Ungaze uqubhe wedwa okanye uzame ukuwela umlambo ozeleyo.

SEA RESCUE SUMMER 2019

Lungiselela uhambo olukhuselekileyo ukuze wazi ukuba wenzani xa kusenzeka okungalunganga.

LOOK/JONGA Jonga amaze kunye nemisinga ethuleyo. Amatye atyibilikisayo ayingozi. Ungaluniki umva ulwandle.

A

ASK/CELA Cela umntu omdala ukuba akujonge xa uqubha. Soloko uxelela umntu omdala apho uya khona nokuba uza kubuya nini.

Wenza intoni ukuba kukho

UMNTU OSENGXAKINI

M N

MOLO Kukhuselekile ukuya kwisigulana, umbethe egxeni ukhwaze uthi ‘Molo’.

NCEDA

Ukuba akukho mpendulo yesigulana tsalela inqwelo yezigulana uze uqale inkqubo ye-CPR 112.

INKQUBO YEZANDLA

yeCPR

Beka umva wesandla phakathi esifubeni. Beka umva wesandla ngaphezu kwesandla sokuqala; dibanisa iminwe yakho. Cinezela ngamandla ngokukhawuleza kude kufike uncedo.

SEA RESCUE SUMMER 2019

| 21

IZILUMKISO

Jonga ii Buoys zohlangulo ezipinki, uze uxelele abazali bakho ngabo.

I-Buoy epinki yenzelwe ukusetyenziswa kungxamiseko. Nceda uyijonge ibuoy. Inganceda ukuhlangula omnye wosapho lwakho.

Tsalela ku 112 kwimfono-mfono yakho ukuba ufuna uncedo.

22 |

SEA RESCUE SUMMER 2019

ILLUSTRATIONS: MEGAN BIRD

Ukhuseleko lwakho luza kuqala.

Ukuze ukwazu ukunceda umhlobo kufuneka uqiniseke ukuba awulimali.

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NEWS Purpose-built stretcher wins International Maritime Rescue Federation accolade

N

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S e a R e scu e S U M M E R 2 0 1 9

Marc Rodgers (left), Plettenberg Bay station commander, and coxswain Robbie Gibson at the IMRF awards ceremony in London.

could be used over rocks and through surf to transport a patient who has been immobilised.

The stretcher was used for the first time in April 2019 and has a number of unique features: ›› It is a stable platform on which a casualty can be carried on narrow paths in rough terrain. ›› It will not capsize easily in surf. ›› It incorporates a backboard with spider harness and head blocks that are easily removable. ›› It is lightweight and very strong. ›› It has a slender design so that a patient can be carried on it along narrow footpaths. ›› The shoulder straps help the stretcher bearers take the weight of a patient. ›› It has a solid pontoon that cannot be punctured. ›› Its rigid platform base allows CPR to be performed on it. ›› The platform is streamlined to allow effective towing.

›› It features a good towing eye and a strap that can be connected to a towline quickly while under stress in the surf. ›› It is suitable for use in swift-water rescue. ›› The stretcher is as comfortable as possible for the casualty while in the water. ›› It can be paddled like a SUP, carrying two crew as well as medical and rescue equipment, in swift water and floods. ›› A storage compartment can house medical equipment. ›› The hull is made of fibreglass, with nylon skids protecting the underside. ›› The whole unit, including the backboard, weighs only 20kg.

NSRI previously won the same category in 2018 with our Pink Rescue Buoys and in 2017 we were runners-up in the team category with our NSRI Water Safety Education programme.

IMAGEs: IMRF, SUPPLIED

SRI Station 14 (Plettenberg Bay) station commander Marc Rodgers and coxswain Robbie Gibson attended the International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) 2019 awards ceremony in London on 10 September and secured second place in the IMRF Innovation and Technology Awards category with their purpose-designed rescue stretcher.

The stretcher was conceived as a solution to the unique patientextrication problem posed by the rocky stretch of shoreline where the bulk of the station’s rescues take place.

Hikers in the Robberg Nature Reserve are often injured on the hiking trail and need to be carried back to the parking area or taken to safety by sea. The latter is usually the preferred method, as large parts of the reserve include narrow footpaths that navigate steep rocky sections.

Patient extrication by sea on a rocky stretch of coast with substantial wave action is a task that requires specialist training and equipment.

The rescue vessels of choice in this area are rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) and jet skis.

With this in mind, the Plettenberg Bay volunteers pioneered a new design of floating stretcher that

COMPETITION Can you tell us how much the new NSRI stretcher weighs?

On 7 September, NSRI’s Judy Venter visited Curro Westbrook in Port Elizabeth as a guest speaker. Judy presented the PLAN water safety lesson to the Grade 2 pupils. This summer, we encourage everyone to be safe near water and spread the PLAN message.

Send your answer to info@searescue. org.za, and if yours is one of the first three correct ones drawn, you will win a cool moneybox and a copy of The Brave Turtle. Competition closes 31 January 2020.

IMAGES: IMRF, SUPPLIED

Bravo Bravo NSRI’s BravoBravo is an online learning platform that can be accessed from a number of devices (computer, tablet or smartphone). Use it to familiarise yourself with the Skippers Guide for small vessels, an excellent introduction for all boat users that covers the entire syllabus for the SAMSA small vessel certificate of competence. Material is presented as a series of modules with a short quiz after each section.

bravobravo.co.za

NEWS

From left: Sindisa Sigam, WWF Project Coordinator, Eunice Jurgens, SANBI Senior Environmental Education Officer, and Kleinmond crew member Ettienne Rossow.

HIGH TEA AND TALK

O NSRI’s Call Centre team put their hands – and knitting needles – together to produce an astounding 23 blankets for Baphumelele Children’s Home in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. Thanks to Elite Yarns, whose donation of wool helped make this possible.

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SEA RESCUE SUMMER 2019

n 18 July, in celebration of Mandela Day, Station 42 (Kleinmond) joined forces with the South African National Botanical Institute (SANBI), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Hangklip Kleinmond Tourism Bureau, Child Welfare, Overstrand Municipality and Cape Nature to host a high tea for senior citizens from the local community.

Regional representative Deon Langenhoven did a short presentation to explain Sea Rescue’s functions, the

Water Safety Programme and the Pink Rescue Buoy project, and introduce our new station. Afterwards crew member Andrè Brand and trainee crew member Ettienne Rossouw handed out prizes to the lucky pop-quiz winners.

Our senior citizens play a vital role in our community, especially when it comes to sharing their wisdom. We hope they will all share their newfound knowledge of Sea Rescue and the Pink Rescue Buoys with their children and grandchildren, thereby creating a culture of safe practice and conduct when visiting our beaches, rivers and dams.

CAPE TOWN WINE AUCTION

S

ea Rescue has enjoyed a long friendship with Rotary, which has provided support for a great many crucial life-saving projects. The Rotary Wine Auction in aid of NSRI is a prime example of this partnership. The aim this year aim was to raise the funding for a new rescue vessel for Hermanus. We would like to thank the Rotary Clubs of Newlands and Table Bay in Cape Town for their dedicated efforts in putting this wine auction together. More than 120 people attended the dinner and auction, which was at held at The Rotunda, The Bay Hotel in Camps Bay on 10 October.

The event was a great success, raising more than R200 000.

We would like to thank everyone for their generous support, especially the volunteers of Hermanus rescue base, staff, the Rotarians and Claremart Auctioneers. Thank you to all our sponsors: The Bay Hotel Camps Bay, The Wine Cellar, Securistore, auctioneers Andrew Koch and Glen Harris from Claremart, Peter Bacon and Usana Wines as well as our wine estate partners for the fantastic wines that were on offer. Without their contributions, none of this would have been possible.

NEWS

WIN GREAT PRIZES

IN OUR MONTHLY AND ANNUAL COMPETITIONS

NSRI DOUBLE MITSUBISHI PRIZE DRAW Donate a once-off amount of R735. This will get you a ticket to enter the NSRI Double Mitsubishi Prize Draw.

You may take as many tickets as you wish. Tickets are limited to 35 000 so you have an excellent chance of winning. FIRST PRIZE: TWO Mitsubishi vehicles: a Pajero Sport 2.5 and an ASX 2.0 Classic, valued at more than R800 000. SECOND PRIZE: R250 000 in cash. THIRD PRIZE: a ‘holiday of your dreams’ to the value of R80 000.

To participate, call Dina at the NSRI Call Centre on +27 21 430 4703, send an email to carcomp@searescue.org.za or scan one of the QR

W IN

R1 00

00 0

codes on the right. Competition closes on 13 December 2019

NSRI MONTHLY R50 000 AND ANNUAL R100 000 CASH PRIZE DRAWS You could win one of five R10 000 prizes each month as well as R100 000 in our annual December draw. For R50 per month, you will get two tickets and 10 entries each month and two entries into the December R100 000 draw.

Please call Lianne on 021 430 4701 or send an email to monthlydraw@searescue.org.za

Terms and conditions apply. Go to www.nsri.org.za/win/ to see full terms and conditions.

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SEA RESCUE SUMMER 2019

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING SOFT TOYS: Brave Turtle or Whale

R80 EACH

MONEY BOXES: Shark, Turtle, Octopus and Whale variations

The Brave Turtle

R120

R100 EACH

WOODEN TOYS: Station Combo

R500 Into a Raging Sea

Chopper and boat

R120 EACH

SHORT-SLEEVE ROUNDNECK T-SHIRTS: navy blue, melange, black, charcoal and white.

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS: set of three

R60

R290 EACH

Op ’n Stormsee

ASSORTED LINED BEACH BAGS: large (60cm x 45cm) – R250, medium (40cm x 30cm) – R180, cosmetic bag (30cm x 15cm) – R85

FULL SET

R500

R240

R150

FULL SET

R450

LINED TOTE BAGS: large with navy stripe (50cm x 40cm) – R220, medium with light-blue stripe (40cm x 35cm) – R180, cosmetic bag with navy stripe (30cm x 15cm) – R85

FULL SET

R600 LINED GYM BAGS: large (55cm x 40cm) – R300, medium (45cm x 30cm) – R250; cosmetic bag (25cm x 15cm) – R85

Go to shop.searescue.org.za to order online.

SEA RESCUE SUMMER 2019

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HERMANUS WINE AUCTION

O

n Friday 16 August, The Rotary Clubs of Newlands and Table Bay, in partnership with the Rotary Club of Hermanus and the African Pride Arabella Hotel and Spa, hosted the first annual wine auction in Hermanus. The proceeds of the wine auction will fund the new 6.5 metre rescue vessel at Hermanus that has been named Rotarian Burnett.

The event was a great success, raising just over R115 000. Thank you to everyone who came out to support us: Station 17 volunteers, the Rotarians and Glen Harris of Claremart Auctioneers all contributed to the success of this event.

We would also like to thank the sponsors who made this wine auction

possible: African Pride Arabella Hotel & Spa, Claremart, Creation Wines, Raka Wine Cellar, Securistore, My Design, Village n Life, and all the wine estates who sponsored the wines for auction.

Station 17 (Hermanus) crew with Richard Burnett from the Rotary Club of Newlands and Dean Wegerle, our Event Fundraiser.

Time to hit

the Beach

Visit any one of 27 stores nationwide

For your nearest store call toll-free 0800 007 261 Go to outdoorwarehouse.co.za to learn more and shop online OutdoorW

Outdoorwarehouseza

IMAGES: Marnette Meyer/NSRI

Shop our wide selection of beach equipment, furniture, cooler boxes, leisure clothing and more.

1

THE NUMBERS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES

W

e would like to thank the Film Industry Fund, which generously sponsored the latest WaveRunner that joined our fleet of rescue vessels. Film Industry Fund Rescuer Two is based at Station 18 (Melkbosstrand). She was officially named and launched in a ceremony in September this year that was attended by 140 guests. She has however been on station since last year and has been involved in 32 operations, with 44 lives saved.

The fund also sponsored a WaveRunner for Station 16 (Strandfontein).

Since her official launch on 28 October 2017 she has gone on 52 operations, with 68 lives saved.

So a total of 112 lives have been saved thanks to the sponsorship of the Film Industry Fund.

IMAGES: Marnette Meyer/NSRI

e

NEWS

46 lives saved... and counting

S

ea Rescue presented our Pink Rescue Buoy emergency flotation project at International Lifesaving’s biannual World Conference on Drowning Prevention (WCDP) in Durban in early October.

NSRI’s Drowning Prevention manager Andrew Ingram addressed delegates from around the world explaining where the idea originated from, how it has been funded and implemented, and that to date the Pink Rescue Buoys have been used to save the lives of 46 people who were in grave danger of drowning.

‘There is a strong focus from the international lifesaving community on bystander rescue equipment and it was a pleasure to be able to share our success with this project with them,’ said Ingram.

‘We launched the Pink Rescue Buoy project in November 2017 following the WCDP in Vancouver after seeing that Hawaii reported 150 successful bystander rescues (from 300 deployed rescue tubes) with no harm to the untrained rescuer being reported in any of these rescues.

‘Later we heard about a similar initiative in Ireland that was started in 1971 and has also had phenomenal success in getting emergency flotation to a drowning victim while emergency services are responding.

‘An observation from similar projects that are happening around the globe is that untrained people are going to the aid of someone who is in danger of drowning despite being advised not to. Our Pink Rescue Buoys use simple graphics to explain that it is better to throw the float to someone and call for help. But if someone does go into the water despite the danger, they have a much better chance of survival if they take flotation with them,’ explained Ingram.

‘Sea Rescue has the support of many municipalities to put this emergency flotation in drowning hot spots. Each Pink Rescue Buoy costs R1 500 and is privately sponsored which means that there is no cost to the municipalities,’ Ingram added.

‘We currently have 463 Pink Rescue Buoys at drowning hot spots around the country. With generous support from individuals and companies we hope to expand the placement of the Pink Rescue Buoys into many more municipalities that would like to partner with us to save lives,’ he concluded.

e Sea Rescue SUMMER 2019

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P L AT I N U M PA R T N E R S

S T R AT E G I C PA R T N E R S

G O L D PA R T N E R S A&M Logistics • AMSOL • Cargill SA • Cohesive Capital • Damen Shipyards • Denys Edwardes • Freddy Hirsch Group • Hoegh Autoliners • Imperial Group t/a Alert Engine Parts • JLT Marine • Kelp Products • Kiddie Rides • MACS Maritime Carrier Shipping • MixTelematics International • NCS Resins • Peregrine Equities • Press Spinning & Stamping Co • RF Design • Richards Bay Coal Terminal • Ruwekus Fishing • Sea Harvest Corporation • Stamatis Fishing • Striker Fishing Enterprises • Two Oceans Aquarium Trust • Two Oceans Marine Manufacturing

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SEA RESCUE SUMMER 2019

NEW ADDITION TO HERMANUS FLEET

Richard Burnett (above) and (below) receiving his Hermanus crew cap from station commander Deon Langenhoven.

n Saturday, 17 August, volunteers, supporters and Rotarians from Rotary Table Bay, Newlands and Hermanus gathered at our temporary Hermanus rescue base to bless their new 6.5 metre vessel Rotarian Burnett.

Rotarian Richard Burnett came up with the idea of hosting an annual wine auction to raise funds for the NSRI 24 years ago. These proceeds have since funded rescue vessels, rescue vehicles, rescue base buildings and our watersafety education programme.

We are proud to be associated with an amazing organisation like Rotary. It

seemed fitting to name the new vessel after Richard, who has supported us so tirelessly. Thank you to Rotary for your unwavering support of Sea Rescue and our vision of ‘Saving Lives, Changing Lives and Creating Futures’.

O

T H A N K YO U F O R T H E D O N AT I O N S R E C E I V E D IN MEMORY OF: Brian Button, Johnny Clegg, Jean Daguiar, Louise Fowler, Philip Heber-Percy, Andrea Knoll, Kriss Naidoo, Ingrid Pieper, Johan Stone, Wolfgang Wodrich, Denis Zimmerman IN HONOUR OF: Mrs Cordiner (birthday), Poul-Ejnar Hansen (birthday), Heidi Holloway (birthday), Mike and Julia Jackson’s grandson (21st birthday), Sue and Lynton Lloyd (wedding) ASHES LOG: Station 3 (Table Bay): Willem Thijsse; Station 10 (Simon’s Town): Jon Collis, Penelope Edith Francis Fowler-Breedt, Reginald George Noel Hopkins

SURF RESCUE

INTO THE SURF: NEW JETRIB LAUNCHED NSRI training manager Graeme Harding says the new JetRIB is a welcome addition to the surf rescue fleet.

D

ESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR surf rescue in collaboration with Droomers Yamaha and Admiral Powercats, a new breed of vessel has been developed and tested around the country and will be a welcome addition to the Sea Rescue fleet.

The all-new Yamaha VX 1050 JetRIB is powered by an environmenIn July the training department tally friendly four-stroke engine. The embarked on a roadshow to introduce added hull with Hypalon pontoon has the new JetRIB and get important created a much more stable platform feedback from our stations and current and increased flotaserving surf-rescue THE NEW JETRIB SPECS tion capability, and is coxswains on its safe• Yamaha VX 1050 (110Hp) divided into four septy and suitability. It • Three-cylinder arate compartments also helped determine four-stroke engine for safety purposes. whether any changes • 70-litre fuel capacity The JetRIB allows were required from • Five-hour range plus for a helmsman an operational point two hours’ reserve and two extra crew of view.

• Crew complement: three members, who can The reaction has be dropped off to been very positive, attend to a casualty in the water. With with most coxswains indicating this the vessel’s impressive stability and is without a doubt one of the safest padded seating (crew sit behind the boats they have used in the surf helmsman), navigating through even zone, and there is much excitement the most challenging surf conditions surrounding the roll-out of the JetRIB has become a lot less impactful and to our stations operating in surf zones stressful than with our present craft. around the country.

FEEDBACK FROM STATIONS VISITED: DURBAN ‘The craft appears to be a very suitable replacement for the current small fleet. I see a very good platform to train new people in surf work thanks to its forgiving nature, its ability to carry a load and good response to the helm and throttle.’

Paul Bevis (coxswain) EAST LONDON ‘This new vessel is phenomenal. It tops any white-water vessel/craft I have worked with in both Sea Rescue and Surf Lifesaving. It will definitely reduce response time and improve our capabilities in the surf as well as on open water.

Well done on a phenomenal vessel. I’m still smiling about it!’

Cathryn Prentis (coxswain) WILDERNESS ‘Brilliant design and concept…

The way forward.’

Johan Scholtz (coxswain) HOUT BAY ‘I think it will revolutionise surf rescue. The ride was comfortable and the craft is agile, responsive and easy to manoeuvre in tricky situations. Having additional crew on the craft did not hinder its performance in the surf. It is easy to use, with simple but effective controls.’

Geoff Stephens (StatCom)

PHOTOGRAPHS: SUPPLIED

WE NEED YOUR HELP Sea Rescue is about to launch a new generation of rescue craft, and we need your help. The JetRIB can face the most challenging surf conditions with ease, speeding up our response time considerably. Every second is critical when a person is in trouble in the water.

Each JetRIB costs R444 000, and this is where your contribution of R395 can make a big difference. Go to www.searescue.org.za or scan either of the QR codes to donate. Use ‘JetRIB’ as the reference for payment. In thanks of your support, you will qualify for our ‘JetRIB’ lucky draw (if your donation is received by 15 December). The winner will receive a R1 500 gift card generously sponsored by Outdoor Warehouse. This voucher is valid at any Outdoor Warehouse store nationwide (www.outdoorwarehouse.co.za).

SEA RESCUE SUMMER 2019

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WAT E R S A F E T Y

SAFETY TIPS FOR THE

The NSRI wishes everyone a safe summer holiday and urges the public to adopt a water-safety mindset around coastal and inland waters.

O

UR NUMBER ONE RULE for a safe experience at the beach is that you swim where lifeguards are on duty and stay between the flags. If you find yourself in a rip current, or suddenly feel out of your depth, putting an arm in the air and waving for help will get a rapid response from the lifeguards on duty.

It’s when people swim at beaches where no lifeguards are on duty (for whatever reason that may be) that things can go wrong.

In a typical scenario Sea Rescue gets an emergency call that a swimmer is in difficulty and, when we get there, we find two or more people in danger of drowning. Tragically, sometimes we are not able to get there in time and someone drowns.

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SEA RESCUE SUMMER 2019

Often the person who does not survive is the kind person who went into the water to try and help someone who was in difficulty.

Because this happens so frequently, we launched our Pink Rescue Buoy project in November 2017. These bright Pink Rescue Buoys are hung on strategically placed signs and we hope that they will remind people to take care when entering the water – and not to swim if lifeguards are not on duty at that stretch of the beach.

If there is an incident and someone needs help, these buoys can be thrown to the person in trouble in the water, providing them with emergency flotation. There are clear graphics on the signs that explain how to use the rescue buoys. And most importantly,

the emergency number for the closest Sea Rescue station is printed on the sign.

If anyone decides, against advice, to enter the water to try to rescue someone in trouble, first call Sea Rescue and then use the Pink Rescue Buoy to provide flotation for that good Samaritan as well as the casualty.

Have a plan in place in the event of an emergency to prevent panic: ›› Make sure you have emergency numbers that you may need saved in your cellphone. Dial 112 from any cellphone in any emergency.

Or search for the number of the closest Sea Rescue station online.

(A list of current station commanders and station emergency numbers appears at the back of this magazine.) ›› Check the wind, weather and tides before fishing or boating or going to the beach. ›› Tell someone where you are going,

PHOTOGRAPH AND WORDS: ANDREW INGRAM

SUMMER HOLIDAYS

HERE ARE SOME SAFETY TIPS

PHOTOGRAPH AND WORDS: ANDREW INGRAM

TO BEAR IN MIND THIS SUMMER:

when you will be back, and make sure that they know your route and who to call if you are overdue. ›› When climbing on rocks or fishing from rocks, never ever turn your back to the sea. We strongly advise rock anglers to wear a lifejacket and be aware of spring high tide. ›› Download and always use NSRI’s free SafeTrx app. (To download the app, go to www.nsri.org.za/ safetrx.)

1. Swim at beaches where and when lifeguards are on duty.

Lifeguards are on duty at selected beaches between 10am and 6pm on weekends and during the week during summer school holidays. Listen to their advice and talk to them about safety on the beach that you are visiting. They are the experts on that beach. If lifeguards are not on duty, do not swim.

2. Swim between the lifeguard flags.

Teach children that if they swim between the lifeguard flags the lifeguards will be watching them and can help if there is a problem. Lifeguards watch swimmers very carefully between the flags – just wave an arm if you need help.

3. Don’t swim if you have been drinking alcohol.

4. Don’t swim alone. Always swim with a buddy.

If you are with a buddy while swimming and get into trouble, there is someone who can call for help should you not be able to wave to the lifeguards or call for help yourself.

5. Adult supervision and barriers to water are vital.

Adults who are supervising children in or near water must be able to swim.

This is vital if it is at a water body that does not have lifeguards on duty. It is extremely dangerous to get into the water to rescue someone, so rather throw something that floats to the person in difficulty and call for help (112 from a cellphone or check for the nearest Sea Rescue station telephone number before you visit a beach – put that number into your cellphone). Children should not be able to get through or over barriers such as pool fences to water. Only use child-safe pool fences and child-safe pool covers or nets.

6. Know how to survive rip currents.

If you swim between the lifeguard flags they will make sure that you are safe and well away from rip currents. If for some reason this is not possible, do not swim. Educate yourself about rip currents, there is plenty of educational material, including videos of what rip currents look like, at www.nsri.org. za/2017/01/beware-of-rip-currents/.

7. Don’t attempt a rescue yourself.

If you see someone in difficulty, call a lifeguard at once or dial the nearest Sea Rescue station from your cellphone. You should put this number into your phone before you go to the beach – get the emergency numbers for NSRI at www.nsri.org.za/emergency-numbers/ or search online for the closest NSRI station’s emergency number. Or dial the emergency number 112 from your cellphone. After calling for help, try to throw something that floats to the person in difficulty, like a ball or foam surfboard.

8. Watch children who are using floating objects, toys or tyre tubes at the beach or on dams very carefully. Never use these if the wind may blow them away from the shallow water.

You can very quickly get blown away from the shore and as much fun as tubes are, it is easy to fall off them. If a child can’t swim and falls off in deep water they will drown.

9. Do not be distracted by your cellphone or social media.

While you are looking after children in or near water, you need to focus on them and nothing else. Adults who are supervising children should not be distracted or use their cellphones. It is not possible to concentrate on children in the water and be on your phone at the same time.

10. Learn how to do bystander CPR.

SEA RESCUE SUMMER 2019

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training

JOINING

FORCES I

t had been a cracker of a Friday in Jbay. The surf was small at Main Beach and there were plenty of people down on the sand enjoying the last of the sunshine as the evening settled in. If ever there is a place that is steeped in beach culture, this is it.

In a town that is written into the history books because of its famous waves, Station 37 (Jeffreys Bay) will be remembered for the many lives the volunteers have saved. The volunteers of this station will be top of mind for their remarkably fast response 24/7/365 to what we call ‘a drowning in progress,’ and, more recently, for bringing two lifesaving clubs into their station in the interest of beach safety in Jeffreys Bay. ‘We all want the same thing: a safe beach,’ says Rob Smith, Lifesaving SA’s chairman for the Sarah Baartman district. ‘It makes sense to work together.’

Former Jeffreys Bay station commander Rieghard Janse van Rensburg, with his committee and the leadership of Pellsrus and Jeffreys Bay Surf Lifesaving clubs, pulled off

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Sea Rescue SUMMER 2019

an amazing feat over the past year.

Working together from mid-April 2018, the small core group of lifeguards and Sea Rescue volunteers effectively forged three different groups into one operational NSRI Lifesaving unit.

After lunch on Saturday, I’m driving past Main Beach when I see two Sea Rescue lifeguards walking onto the sand with their red torpedo buoys. It is not lifesaving season, so I stop to see who they are and why they are on the beach. I recognise Michael van den Bergh (now the first NSRI station commander who is also a qualified lifeguard) and Grietjie Burger, and I quickly work out that they are down on the beach to watch over a schoolgroup event. It is fascinating to see how people slowly gravitate to where the two lifeguards are standing, and instead of groups swimming up and down the beach, they go for a swim in front of the two lifeguards…

Early on the Sunday morning, I’m back on the beach with Zweli Mafutha, lifeguard instructor from the former Jeffreys Bay Surf Lifesaving Club and

Lifesaving SA’s Regional Chief Examiner, who now needs only five hours’ sea time to become a Sea Rescue coxswain.

It is a big day for Zweli – he and fellow instructor Paul Makupula have a class of 23 Sea Rescue lifeguards who are going to attempt their Lifeguard Award test. It’s taken six months of training to get the youngsters to the required fitness level and now Rob is going to watch them in action. He will be judging the students’ ability, but also how well Zweli and Paul have trained the team. And he will have the final say on signing them off, thus giving the candidates the chance of applying for a job as a professional lifeguard on Kouga’s beaches.

After a brief pep talk, Rob smiles and shouts, ‘Go!’ The stopwatches start to run. As do the hopeful lifeguard trainees. Run, swim, run. Two-hundred metres on the soft sand and then into the water, swim out to a buoy and back onto the beach for another 200m run. Sound easy? Well, to complete this in the required 10 minutes is anything but. You need months of training and real grit. Even the athletes in the group are breathing hard when they finish. But it is those who are pushing to make the cut-off that I am most interested in. I look down at my watch, which is moving steadily towards 10

Photographs: ANDREW INGRAM

Andrew Ingram spent the weekend meeting the dedicated group of individuals who make up the newly formed Jeffreys Bay (Station 37) Lifeguard team.

what makes [the rip current] so dangerous, apart from its strength, is that it is right there at the spot where you start walking onto the sand.

Photographs: ANDREW INGRAM

minutes. Running as hard as she can towards the finish line, is St Francis local Jolene Coetzer, 29.

It is going to be close for her. Pain is etched on her face. I can see that she is giving it her all. ‘Go, Jolene!’ I hear myself shout as she crosses the line.

She collapses in a heap, breathing very hard. Her face is in the sand and her eyes are shut. I had forgotten to look at my watch. I look across at Rob, who yells, ‘Well done, Jolene. You did it!’

Slowly she gets to her feet and celebrates with the others who have made it. Eighteen of the 23 candidates

FROM LEFT: Zweli Mafutha briefs youngsters who are about to do their Lifeguard Award swim test; Grietjie Burger busy with a navigation exercise during training; Anasele Singatha and Jolene Coetzer during their Lifeguard Award test.

BELOW: Ettiene van Gent (in the green rash vest) instructs a group of NSRI trainee lifeguards during an exercise session.

were within the time limit, four must redo the test and one will have to redo the entire course. Zweli’s tension has evaporated. It has been a good morning.

After going through a theory exam and a CPR test, Zweli calls the group together. ‘This is not the end. It is only the start,’ he tells them. ‘You will all get your Lifeguard Award now. But the award will not come to the beach for duty. It is up to you to do that.’

Later that afternoon, Ettiene van Gent, former Pellsrus lifeguard and now Class 4 Coxswain and part of the Sea Rescue crew, is putting another eight NSRI volunteers through their paces. This is an interesting group, as Ettiene himself is working to qualify as a Lifesaving instructor and his class includes 52-year-old crewman Dean Luyt – among a couple of teenagers.

The group races off down the beach on a fitness run and Ettiene grabs a rescue board to paddle out and mark the spot to which the trainees must swim. I am amazed at the diversity of the Jeffreys Bay NSRI volunteers I have watched training over the weekend, and as I turn onto the freeway, heading for home, I can’t help but think that this weekend I have had a glimpse into the future of Sea Rescue.

Se a Re s c u e SU M M E R 2 0 1 9

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The rainbow of light flickering off comb jellies is the refraction of incoming sunlight.

S

PELAGIC ZOO

Naturalist Georgina Jones takes us on a fascinating journey just below the water’s surface.

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SEA RESCUE SUMMER 2019

PHOTOGRAPHS: GEORGINA JONES

THE

TARING OUT AT the open ocean on a summer’s day, it’s easy to imagine the clear water going down into the depths, blue upon blue, deeper and deeper, silent and empty.

But this is in fact a busy, densely populated world filled with extraordinary animals. These are pelagic animals, adapted for life in the open ocean: hunting herbivores, swimming snails, glittering parasitic shrimps and more.

The Agulhas Current, second most powerful current in the world ocean (only the Gulf Stream is stronger), rushes down the South African east coast freighted with a cargo of reef larvae and open-ocean wonders.

The ceiling of this world is the ocean surface, where bluebottles and sea swallows float. The trailing tentacles of bluebottles are notorious for their stings the world over (best practice for dealing with a sting is to rinse it with vinegar and then soak it in 45˚C water for 45 minutes). Sea swallows are pelagic sea slugs that gulp air into their

Photographs: georgina jones

b e low t h e s u r fac e bellies and float on their backs on the surface until they bump into a bluebottle. These beautiful blue animals prey on bluebottles, not only feeding on their tissues but also conserving their stinging cells for use in their own defences. They are sometimes found washed up on the beach after onshore winds. Treat them with caution.

Also living on the surface are buoy barnacles and bubble-raft shells. Buoy barnacles attach to floating objects as juveniles, but as adults they secrete a yellow foam from which they float, sieving the water below them for food. Bubble-raft snails secrete a frothy mucus that suspends them from the surface in similar fashion.

Like sea swallows, these snails feed on bluebottles, although they stay away from their stings.

Below the surface, jellyfish pulse in the current, their bells and tentacles alive with tiny amphipods or transparent driftfish, which seek a dangerous shelter among the stinging tentacles.

Comb jellies sway in the water currents, light reflecting in rainbows off their busily working combs.

There are also pelagic sea squirts, large transparent colonial animals with complicated sex lives, identified by opaque bands of muscle and a round red stomach. Inside their hollow bodies, female sea sapphires (fishermen call them tuna lights) make their homes. These are tiny parasitic copepod crustaceans, and the females are completely translucent. Not so the males, which use crystal arrays to reflect light in colours ranging from gold to deep blue, winking out into translucent invisibility as soon as any threat is detected.

There are the sea butterflies, another group of pelagic sea slugs, with bodies protected by their transparent shells. These tiny animals float quietly in the current until alarmed and then their minuscule wing-like parapodia flap into furious action, rather like the snitch in a Harry Potter story.

They need to be vigilant, because other pelagic snail predators float

Top to bottom: Sea angels have no protective shell; a sea butterfly with a three-spined shell; sea elephants’ trunks are extended to catch prey; sea butterflies flap their lobed wings to move underwater.

along with them. There is a group called the sea elephants – transparent pelagic snails that have mobile ‘trunks’ that they use to capture prey.

The snail-foot has been modified into a fin for swimming.

Unlike sea butterflies, the sea angels, also pelagic sea slugs, lack a shell entirely. Sea angels have swimming wings and some of them, not especially angelically, feed only on sea butterflies. Even (sea) angels must eat, after all.

This leaves the field open to those sea elephants that want to feed on herbivores. Because the open ocean also has its grazers. These are known as larvaceans or appendicularians, depending on which characteristics are considered most important. Tiny single-celled algae float in the sunlit surface waters of the open ocean and larvaceans build mucous filtering nets and houses to trap them. Being a grazer in the open ocean requires hunting equipment. So the larvaceans (so called because they retain their tadpole-like larval forms into adulthood) secrete a transparent house in which they live, as well as food-filtering nets within the house. A mobile tail (hence the name appendicularian) protrudes from the house and beats to propel water into the house and algae into the nets. The concentration of algae inside the house can be up to 900 times that of the surrounding water.

Larvaceans are apocalyptic housekeepers, though: once their houses are too clogged with faecal matter for functionality, they abandon them and build a new one. They can make up to 16 houses in a lifetime, and their abandoned houses, sinking slowly down into the deep, are a significant means of cycling carbon into the depths.

Divers are taught to make a safety stop at a depth of 5m when ending a dive, to make sure that any dissolved nitrogen has a chance to be safely exhaled. In many parts of the world, this is a quiet three minutes. Not so on our east coast. There’s an entire zoo of animals to discover.

S e a R e s c u e SU M M ER 2 0 1 9

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STATI O N D I REC TO RY The nsri is manned by more than 1 200 volunteers at 41 bases around the country, including five inland dams.

Our volunteers have day jobs but will always respond to your emergency.

STN 2 BAKOVEN StatCom: Luke van Riet ✆ 082 990 5962

STN 3 TABLE BAY StatCom: Marc de Vos ✆ 082 990 5963

STN 4 MYKONOS StatCom: Michael Shaw

✆ 082 990 5966

STN 5 DURBAN StatCom: Jonathan Kellerman ✆ 082 990 5948

STN 6 PORT ELIZABETH StatCom: Justin Erasmus ✆ 082 990 0828

STN 7 EAST LONDON StatCom: Ian Reid ✆ 082 990 5972

STN 8 HOUT BAY StatCom: Geoff Stephens ✆ 082 990 5964

STN 9 GORDON’S BAY StatCom: Alan Meiklejohn ✆ 072-448-8482

STN 10 SIMON’S TOWN StatCom: Darren Zimmermann ✆ 082 990 5965

STN 11 PORT ALFRED StatCom: Stephen Slade ✆ 082 990 5971

STN 12 KNYSNA StatCom: Jerome Simonis ✆ 082 990 5956

STN 14 PLETTENBERG BAY StatCom: Marc Rodgers ✆ 082 990 5975

STN 15 MOSSEL BAY StatCom: André Fraser ✆ 082 990 5954

STN 16 STRANDFONTEIN StatCom: Vaughn Seconds ✆ 082 990 6753

STN 17 HERMANUS StatCom: Deon Langenhoven ✆ 082 990 5967

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Sea Rescue summer 2019

STN 18 MELKBOSSTRAND StatCom: Peter O’Hanlon ✆ 082 990 5958

STN 19 RICHARDS BAY StatCom: Bernard Minnie

✆ 082 990 5949

STN 20 SHELLY BEACH StatCom: Jeremiah Jackson ✆ 082 990 5950

STN 21 ST FRANCIS BAY StatCom: Sara Smith ✆ 082 990 5969

STN 22 VAAL DAM StatCom: Jake Manten ✆ 083 626 5128

STN 23 WILDERNESS StatCom: Garth Dominy ✆ 082 990 5955

STN 24 LAMBERT’S BAY StatCom: Avril Mocke ✆ 060 960 3027

STN 25 HARTBEESPOORT DAM StatCom: Arthur Crewe ✆ 082 990 5961

STN 26 KOMMETJIE StatCom: Ian Klopper ✆ 082 990 5979

STN 27 GAUTENG StatCom: Gerhard Potgieter ✆ 060 991 9301

STN 28A PORT ST JOHNS StatCom: John Costello ✆ 082 550 5430

STN 29 AIR-SEA RESCUE StatCom: Marius Hayes ✆ 082 990 5980

STN 30 AGULHAS StatCom: Reinard Geldenhuys ✆ 082 990 5952

STN 31 STILL BAY StatCom: George Sabbagha ✆ 082 990 5978

STN 32 PORT EDWARD StatCom: Gerrit du Plessis ✆ 082 990 5951

STN 33 WITSAND StatCom: Martin Fourie ✆ 082 990 5957

STN 34 YZERFONTEIN StatCom: Willem Lubbe

✆ 082 990 5974

STN 35 WITBANK DAM StatCom: Travis Clack

✆ 060 962 2620

STN 36 OYSTER BAY StatCom: Lodewyk van Rensburg ✆ 082 990 5968

General needs Data projectors and speakers or flat-screen TVs for training | GoPros or similar waterproof devices to film training sessions | Good-quality waterproof binoculars | Prizes for golf days and fundraising events | Towels for casualties | Groceries such as tea, coffee, sugar and cleaning materials | Long-life energy bars | Wet and dry vacuum cleaners | Dehumidifiers | Small generators | Good-quality toolkits | Top-up supplies for medical kits | Waterproof pouches for cellphones | Tea cups/coffee mugs/glasses for functions | Training-room chairs.

You can also make a donation and let us know which rescue base you would like to support.

Cheques can be mailed to: NSRI, PO Box 154, Green Point 8051.

For deposits and EFTs: ABSA Heerengracht Branch code: 506 009 Account number: 1382480607 Account holder: National Sea Rescue Institute Swift code: ABSA-ZA-JJ If you choose to do an EFT, please use your telephone number as a unique reference so that we are able to acknowledge receipt or email your proof of payment.

STN 37 JEFFREYS BAY StatCom: Michael van den Berg ✆ 079 916 0390

STN 38 THEEWATERSKLOOF StatCom: Shane Wiscombe ✆ 072 446 6344

STN 39 ROCKY BAY StatCom: Kevin Fourie ✆ 072 652 5158

STN 40 ST LUCIA StatCom: Jan Hofman ✆ 063 699 2722

STN 41 BALLITO StatCom: Quentin Power ✆ 060 305 4803

STN 42 KLEINMOND StatCom: Schalk Boonzaaier ✆ 063 699 2765

STN 43 PORT NOLLOTH StatCom: Hugo Foot ✆ 063 698 8971

GA-2000 Carbon NSRI Summer FLH.pdf

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MY

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