Saldanha Bay Municipality Partners with NSRI to Empower Youth Through Survival Swimming Programme
Saldanha Bay Municipality in partnership with the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) hosted the NSRI’s Survival Swimming Programme in Saldanha on Thursday, 5 December 2024.
This is the third event in the area hosted by the NSRI together with Saldanha Bay Municipality. The objective of this initiative is to mitigate the occurrences of drowning within local communities. It also forms part of the Saldanha Bay Safety Initiative’s ongoing programmes that aim to ensure an overall, safer festive season. Other role players at the event were amongst others the Department of Education, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), the Saldanha Bay Safety Initiative’s Coordinator and Saldanha Bay Municipality’s Disaster Management volunteers and interns.
The NSRI’s Survival Swimming Programme is geared at youth and adults in under-resourced areas with the purpose of imparting on valuable life skills. The programme teaches the very basics of breath-control, orientation, floating, and moving through water.
Twelve local schools participated at the event on the fifth, namely:
- Panorama Primary,
- Masiphathisane Primary,
- St. Andrews Primary,
- Diazville Primary,
- Diazville High,
- Jurie Hayes Primary,
- Langebaan Primary,
- Weskus Skool,
- EJ Malgarte,
- Louwville High School,
- Hopefield Primary,
- New Vredenburg High
The programme was offered free to all invited schools and approximately 120 learners were able to participate on the day. The municipality would like to thank the Department of Education, specifically all school principals who continuously support this initiative and who afford learners the opportunity to partake in these lessons. All parents and guardians are also acknowledged for their willingness to sign the consent forms for their children to participate. Saldanha Bay Municipality also thank Weskus Skool for the venue and facilities used.
The municipality continues with a two-cycle project on an annual basis through this journey with the NSRI, i.e., one before the December festive season and one before Easter, in its focussed effort and objective to avoid drowning occurrences.
Saldanha Bay Municipality, specifically its Corporate and Public Safety Services Directorate, is very pleased with this continuing partnership with the NSRI and other relevant role-players in their efforts to help prevent drowning incidents in the area. This initiative is focussed to instil an attitude of confidence and trust amongst local youth.
Organisers of the event would like to acknowledge the following sponsors who supported this initiative: Patrysberg Vleis, Bekker Plaasprodukte, Pick ‘n Pay IPIC Vredenburg, Pick ‘n Pay Laguna Langebaan, Masada Guesthouse, CPI West Coast, Steers & Debonairs (Vredenburg), Hansing Engineering.
The municipal 24-hour Public Safety Control Room can be contacted on tel. (022) 701-6834. For emergency at sea the NSRI number is 087 094 9774. Locally, the NSRI can also be contacted on 082 990 5966.
