The NSRI installed a safety camera on the Strand Beach to aid in drowning prevention and it has already helped save two lives!
Strand, South Africa (23 December 2020) – In ongoing drowning prevention efforts a camera has been positioned at Strand Beach in the Western Cape for duty controllers to monitor the water as a back-up to the lifeguards watching the water from their lifeguard tower and the lifeguards patrolling the beach.
Two Kayakers were rescued off Strand Beach thanks to a camera operator.
Shortly after 16h00, on Monday 21 December 2020, Sea Rescue Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) duty operator Randall Cupido was monitoring Strand Beach Surfline on the new NSRI water safety camera monitor when he noticed two men on a sea kayak appearing to be struggling against strong South Easterly winds 200 metres off-shore of the beach.
Zooming in with the camera Randall observed, at 16h11, the two men, believed to be aged in their 30’s, from Brackenfell, capsizing on their craft and with the use of the water safety camera it was noticed that the men were appeared to be unable to remount their kayak and they were in difficulties.
NSRI EOC alerted the City of Cape Town (CoCT) lifeguards, on duty at Strand Beach, to the unfolding emergency.
CoCT lifeguards launched the Strand Surf Lifesaving Club’s inshore rescue craft and 14 minutes after the capsizing the two men were rescued by the CoCT lifeguards about 100 meters offshore of Strand beach.
They were brought safely to shore and although they were both exhausted from their ordeal they required no further assistance.
“This is the type of teamwork that saves lives,” said Sea Rescue’s acting Drowning Prevention Director Andrew Ingram.
“The Sea Rescue water safety camera at Strand Beach is very quickly proving its worth in assisting the City of Cape Town and Strand Surf Lifesaving Club lifeguards to help to prevent dangerous situations and to speed up getting help to those who need rescuing,” said Ingram.
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