- Beachgoers seeking relief from the scorching 30-degree weather in the city over the next few days are advised to exercise extreme caution along the coastline.
- The full moon between Monday, 25, and Wednesday, 27 December, is anticipated to bring about stronger rip currents and larger sea swells.
- Despite the very windy conditions around the peninsula, lifeguards and support services have been busy in recent days. The only major incident involving bathers recorded in the past few days was a mass rescue at Monwabisi Beach, resulting in three non-fatal drownings.
Beachgoers seeking relief from the scorching 30-degree weather in the city over the next few days are advised to exercise extreme caution along the coastline.
The full moon between Monday, 25, and Wednesday, 27 December, is anticipated to bring about stronger rip currents and larger sea swells.
Despite the very windy conditions around the peninsula, lifeguards and support services have been busy in recent days. The only major incident involving bathers recorded in the past few days was a mass rescue at Monwabisi Beach, resulting in three non-fatal drownings.
A team of nine City of Cape Town lifeguards performed the water rescue of approximately 11 casualties at Monwabisi Beach at 14:10 on Tuesday 26 December.
“The group was swimming in the vicinity of a submerged off-shore sandbank adjacent to a prevalent rip current when they lost their footing and found themselves in trouble. Lifeguards responded with torpedo buoys and Malibu boards and brought all casualties back to shore safely,” says Van der Ross. One woman and two men needed additional medical assistance and were treated for non-fatal drowning symptoms.
“Two of the three were later transported to hospital by ambulance,” she says. The victims involved in the incident were aged between 28 and 35 years old. The patients were transported to Khayelitsha Hospital for medical treatment.
City records indicate four fatal drownings of bathers since Friday, 1 December.
“It is concerning that all fatal drownings occurred outside designated bathing areas or lifeguard duty hours. We urge the public to swim only where and when lifeguards are on duty, between their red and yellow flags. Additionally, please take heed of warnings about rip currents and stronger swells in the coming days. We are committed to providing safe spaces for our beachgoers, but we need the public to play their part too,” says Mayco member for community services and health, Patricia van der Ross.
