On 18 September, we welcomed Zak Abrahams (Drowning Prevention Instructor) from the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) who spoke to our Grade 1-4 pupils about water safety. He spoke a bit about the NSRI that they are made up of 1800 volunteers; sharing the statistics that each Summer, approximately 450 children drown in Cape Town alone, and each year there are 1500 known drowning cases. He added that only 11% of people can swim, and that most people drown in rivers and dams as there are no lifeguards stationed there.
He encouraged all our pupils to visit their nearest lifeguard station to learn more, sharing that they can become lifeguards at the age of 16 – thereby having the skills and knowledge to make a difference and be able to save themselves and then anyone in their families or communities. Along these lines, he enlightened the audience that it is now also their responsibility to look for hazards and to warn, and educate people. He used an example of needing to close the bathroom door if there is water in the bath and a younger sibling is running around, as people can drown if water covers the mouth and nose.
Zak spoke about water safety, stating that “even the best swimmers get into trouble”. He shared that when pupils go to the beach or public pool, they need a PLAN.
P – Pack your bag with things you might need in case of emergency e.g. food, water, shoes, sunblock etc.
L – Look for lifeguards to help/protect you. He advised pupils that if there are no lifeguards, to choose a different beach or to not go too deep. He empowered pupils, stating that regardless of how young they are, they can still save their family. He also suggested checking with the lifeguards where to swim, and to check for dangers such as broken glass bottles and blue bottles.
A – Ask your parents if you can go swim, then they know where you are, and get them to check on you every 5-10minutes as that’s how long it takes for someone to drown. He also cautioned pupils that if their parents don’t check on them, they should check on their parents as perhaps they need help.
N – Never swim alone.
Zak also spoke at length about rip currents, sharing that it can pull you off your feet and can be dangerous if you don’t know how to swim / identify the current / panic / not know how to get out of it. He explained that the rip current and ocean bed always changes due to the tides. He educated the pupils that if they are in trouble in the water, they must call loduly for help and enact the national sign for distress – waving both hands up in the air. He advised that if one is stuck in a current, that you should swim to the left or right and let waves assist. If there are no waves, let the current take you in and it’ll lose its strength and then you need to swim around it. He emphasized the importance of staying calm.
Zak shared that when someone is drowning in the water, you shouldn’t jump in to save them as they will be scared and will grab onto you, resulting in both people drowning. Zak suggested rather using a jacket / towel / rope and getting them to catch it; if there is no buoy around. Zak also shared a handy makeshift lifejacket tip – to use a full 5l water bottle with its cap on and a rope. He also shared that pink torpedo buoys are available for public use, but advised pupils to use the strap and to not offer their hand towards the victim (as they will then control your body). The informative session ended with pupils reciting the emergency number to call (112) and answering some questions, where shark attack questions reigned supreme.
