The need for Water Safety Education is obvious if we consider the drowning statistics in our country. Rural underserved communities in particular are vulnerable to drownings in farm dams, rivers and streams. Without formal swimming skills people too often find themselves in trouble.
The NSRI’s programme presents an effective Water Safety curriculum to create awareness about the dangers of water, what to do if someone gets into trouble, how to help a friend in need, how to perform bystander CPR and who to call for help.
Today the NSRI has 21 full-time instructors who visit schools and clubs around the country and teach people about water-safety issues – using colourful teaching materials and a mannequin to demonstrate bystander CPR. The lessons are designed to fit into a normal school schedule, are presented in a fun and interactive way, are age-appropriate and delivered in the mother tongue of the learners.
Since the programme started in 2006 we have taught over 3 million people. In 2017 the NSRI’s Water Safety Education programme received international recognition as the proud runner up for an Outstanding Team Contribution in the International Maritime Rescue Federation awards.
It costs R15 per child for a Water Safety lesson. Please help.
The NSRI has three core Drowning Prevention programmes – Water Safety Education, Pink Rescue Buoys and Survival Swimming – and offers a range of free resources and educational materials.
To date, over 3 million people, predominantly primary-school learners, have been taught water safety skills.
“Learning Water Safety and peer-rescue skills such as CPR and basic rescue techniques from a young age can help save a life! Always remember, drowning is silent.”
This Mandela Day, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) is honouring our more than 1 500 volunteers who give their time to keep South Africans safe in and around water, every day of the year.
NSRI Represents SA at Global Drowning Prevention Workshop
The NSRI has secured a significant three-year partnership with the Victor Daitz Foundation and World Relief Australia to fund a dedicated Drowning Prevention Instructor in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal.
When 335 young people gathered at the recent Western Cape Scouting-in-Schools leadership development Camp, they expected just a week of Scouting, leadership and fun. With the support of the NSRI, many left with an additional life skill that could save lives: confidence in the water. And, for over a hundred, the beginning of a potential future in water safety, lifeguarding and volunteering with the NSRI.
When Petro Meyer joined the NSRI on 1 September 2018, she couldn’t have imagined she’d one day be teaching in a swimming pool that arrived inside a shipping container. But her enthusiasm had already put her ahead of the curve.
When seconds matter, distance makes all the difference. That’s the thinking behind the National Sea Rescue Institute’s newest satellite (SAT) station at Fish Hoek. It’s a compact but potent addition designed to cut response times for surfski emergencies and drownings in progress across False Bay’s busy waters.
