NSRI Sets the Stage to Empower Lifesavers and Save Lives Worldwide

Photo Credit: Andrew Ingram / NSRI

Lifesaving leaders from around the world joined forces at NSRI headquarters for an incredible week of shared learning, technical training, and global connection.

Cape Town, South Africa (14 October 2026) – What’s better than having a lifesaver on watch at a busy beach? An empowered one.

With a desire to grow and improve, 24 lifesaving leaders from 10 countries travelled to NSRI headquarters in Cape Town to take part in the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s (RNLI) Leaders in Lifesaving course. Their goal was to strengthen their leadership skills, deepen their technical lifesaving knowledge, and expand their understanding of global drowning prevention.

Held in September and co-hosted for the first time with the NSRI, the course provided the perfect learning opportunity for every attendee who arrived with the intention of learning and sharing their drowning-prevention experiences.

RNLI, the United Kingdom and Ireland equivalent of the NSRI, has been hosting this course annually since 2022, after recognising that many smaller drowning-prevention organisations faced similar challenges and needed support.

David Whiddon, Senior International Programme Manager for Sharing Lifesaving Expertise within RNLI, said the interactive initiative offers a great opportunity to share learning and network with other drowning prevention organisations who may face common challenges.

“Collectively, we can find solutions to these challenges and develop interventions that truly address drowning risks across many diverse communities.”

Charl Maritz, NSRI Head of Operations, talks at the RNLI’s Leaders in Lifesaving conference. Photo Credit: Andrew Ingram / NSRI

During this week-long course, participants had the opportunity to meet with NSRI experts working across lifeguarding, search and rescue, and community water education programmes, as well as visit the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC).

A day of leadership training covered leading yourself, leading teams, and leading organisations. Participants also had the opportunity to see how the roles they play contribute to reducing drowning deaths globally.

Participants expressed that the course offered great engagement and allowed them to learn many things that are directly relevant to their day-to-day work. Connecting with peers from around the globe who face similar challenges also helped these lifeguards realise they aren’t alone in the vital work they do.

Over the years, the Leaders in Lifesaving course has built strong, lasting relationships that help tackle and reduce drowning globally. The NSRI highlighted that it is also a fantastic opportunity for both themselves and the RNLI to enhance their own services by learning from the unique challenges faced by lifesaving organisations worldwide.

“The leadership training about giving feedback in a way that allows team members to understand the impact of their actions and how they can change their actions to get a better outcome was definitely something I will be using in my work,” shared Mthe Kweyama, NSRI’s Head of Community Programmes.

“And seeing how different organisations here all fit into the global effort to end drowning made me realise that the drowning prevention family is much bigger than just the NSRI.”

The Leaders in Lifesaving course is just one way the NSRI is working in partnership to share knowledge globally to help save as many lives as possible, particularly across Africa, where the drowning burden remains among the highest in the world.