This afternoon, two young children aged 12 and 14 found themselves caught in a strong rip current, here at Diaz Beach.
With lifeguards not yet on duty for the festive season, there was no one on the beach to assist them.
Fortunately, our three senior coaches (Sandiso Ntosho, Mbasa Yabo and Lukhangele Tabata, pictured below) spotted the children from our HQ. They reacted immediately, made their way to the beach, and within minutes managed to bring both children safely back to shore.
All our coaches are qualified lifeguards, and when our program is not running, we continue to keep a close eye on the beach to help prevent drownings and ensure its a safe environment.
This is one of many MANY incidents we’ve responded to over the years.
The local government only stations lifeguards on select beaches and only during peak season, about 2 months out of the year. The other 10 months, countless people get in trouble, and other than our surf program, there's generally no one else there to help.
All our surf coaches are fully qualified lifeguards and over the years we've battled with local government to contribute towards having lifeguards formally stationed here full-time. But thanks to bureaucracy, that hasn't happened.
In the meantime, we'll keep saving lives.
It's not about recognition, it's about doing the right thing.
These young men are unsung heroes.
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