Did you know that more drownings occur in freshwater than in the ocean?

A study of fatal drownings recently revealed that drownings occurred more frequently in freshwater in South Africa.

It is always assumed that drownings occur more in the ocean, but the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) says an abundance of resources are deployed to prevent these drownings.

Overview of fatal drownings

Dr Jill Fortuin, executive director of drowning prevention at the NSRI, says the the purpose of the study, “A South African Epidemiological Study of Fatal Drownings: 2016-2021” which was conducted by the NSRI, is to provide an overview of fatal drownings in South Africa over the six years. According to the study, the Western Cape was in fourth place with 864 drownings reported for the period. The results of this study have indicated that KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province had the highest incidence of drowning.

“In addition to that, the 0-4 year age group has the highest prevalence of drowning among all the age categories,” adds Fortuin.

Furthermore, in the study, males represent 81% of all the drownings for the time period of the study, which can be attributed to more risky behaviour.

The Pink Rescue Buoy initiative

The National Sea Rescue Institute’s (NSRI) Pink Rescue Buoy initiative has been a ground-breaking innovation for Drowning Prevention since 2017, winning the IMRF (International Maritime Rescue Federation) Award for Innovation and Technology in 2018.

Placed strategically on signs at selected inland rivers, dams and at beaches, these bright pink buoys act as a reminder to take care if there are no lifeguards on duty, and that in the event of someone getting into difficulty in the water, they can be used as emergency flotation until help arrives. Their bright pink colour allows them to be easily seen.

Each Pink Rescue Buoy is housed on a sturdy pole with signage showing how they should be used, as well as the NSRI’s emergency number and the buoy’s unique identification number, which helps rescue services to identify the location of the emergency. ID numbers and NSRI’s contact telephone numbers are also embossed on the buoys themselves so they can easily be returned to their posts after usage, or if they are lost or stolen.

“Untrained people are going to the aid of someone who is in danger of drowning despite being advised not to. Our Pink Rescue Buoys use simple graphics to explain that it is safer to throw the float to someone and call the emergency number on the sign for help. But if someone does go into the water despite being advised not to, they have a very good chance of survival if they take flotation with them. In the rescues that we have recorded no rescuer was injured and all rescues were successful” says Andrew Ingram, Drowning Prevention Manager at NSRI.

Safety and Security Manager at Century City Property Owners’ Association (CCPOA), Marinus Boshoff, says that the Pink Rescue Buoys placed across the precinct will not only raise awareness, but will greatly assist in people having assistance on hand should the need arise. “We love the idea of this initiative, the brightly coloured buoy and the ease of access should anyone find themselves in a tricky situation before we can get to them.”

You can read more about the Pink Rescue Buoy initiative here:  https://www.nsri.org.za/water-safety/pink-rescue-buoys/