PINK RESCUE BUOY HELPS SAVE A LIFE A teenager in difficulty at Herold’s Bay is saved by a savvy bystander and a young lifeguard

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

WHEN 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 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.

As Tristan waded out again, he saw the boy had managed to clamber up onto some rocks. Perhaps he wouldn’t need to swim out after all, he thought. But the next minute a huge wave swept the teenager back into the sea. Tristan turned and ran to his car to get his flippers. On the way he passed a bystander who had already collected the Pink Rescue Buoy and was heading to where the teenager was. Good, that would buy him some time, Tristian thought. By the time he got back and entered the water, the bystander had thrown the buoy to the teenager, who was clinging to it. The current had already pulled him out about 50m from the rocks.

Once he was in the water, the current helped Tristan to get to the casualty quickly. Although

Once he was in the water, the current helped Tristan to get to the casualty quickly. Although the boy was conscious, he was confused and fatigued from fighting the rip current.

the boy was conscious, he was confused and fatigued from fighting the rip current. The line from the buoy had also wrapped around his ankle, and it took some convincing to get him to let go long enough to unravel the strop Tristan needed to be able to tow the casualty.

Knowing he had to swim diagonally to escape the rip current, Tristan swam backstroke most of the way in order to keep an eye on his ‘passenger’. Eventually they managed to reach a sandbank. The minute the teenager realised he could stand and was no longer being swept out to sea, his panic subsided – but Tristan knew they still had to get through the surf somehow. Even using the waves to get back to shore wasn’t going to be easy, because the teenager was too tired to help by kicking.

They were waist deep in the water when Ross Labuschagne, a rescue swimmer from Station 23 (Wilderness), arrived on the scene. Ross assisted them onto the beach just as the paramedics and other Sea Rescue crew arrived. The teenager was medically assessed and taken to hospital for observation. He was later discharged, expected to make a full recovery.

The incident highlights the value of having these Pink Rescue Buoys on beaches. Combined with the quick thinking of the bystander and Tristan’s lifesaver experience, it prevented a possible drowning that day in Herolds Bay.

a Pink Rescue Buoy could save a life. communities, NPOs and governments can implement to reduce the terrible drowning statistics, which are especially severe in Southern Africa. Sea Rescue’s drowning prevention THE NSRI Pink Rescue Buoys are placed at initiatives revolve around the WHO’s 10 recomselected inland rivers and dams, as well as mendations. These recommendations include beaches around our coast as part of Sea water-safety education, especially for children; Rescue’s proactive water-safety initiatives. teaching survival swimming; teaching CPR; and,

The Pink Buoys are public rescue equipment importantly, teaching safe peer rescue techniques and are fully sponsored by individuals, corporates to the general public. and municipalities. The deployment of the NSRI Pink Rescue

The concept for this emergency flotation de- Buoys is done with the cooperation of city counvice was developed by Sea Rescue in 2017 after cils, municipalities and communities in a rapidly the World Health Organization (WHO) released growing effort to make our waters safer and the document ‘Preventing Drowning: An Imple- prevent drowning incidents. mentation Guide.’ The buoys are bright pink so that they can

Following on from the organisation’s ‘2014 be spotted on the water easily by responding Global Report on Drowning’, this document rescuers. The pink colour is also unique to NSRI. clearly outlined practical steps that individuals, So if you see a Pink Rescue Buoy anywhere

GET INVOLVED If there are Pink Rescue Buoys in your area and you would like to help us maintain this life-saving initiative, please become a Pink Rescue Buoy volunteer. Email us at pinkrescuebuoys@searescue. org.za and we’ll send you a brochure explaining how you can help us look after the Pink Rescue Buoys in your area.

other than on its pole, you can be sure it belongs to Sea Rescue and should be returned to its sign. Each Pink Rescue Buoy has a location number engraved on it as well as the telephone number of the Sea Rescue head office embossed on it. #aStolenBuoyIsAstolenLife

Since the project started in November 2017, more than 800 Pink Rescue Buoys have been installed around South Africa and 66 lives have been saved using them. That is something to be proud of! The cost of one Pink Rescue Buoy is R1 500. To make a contribution or for more information, email pinkrescuebuoys@searescue.org.za