The City of Cape Town and Lifesaving Western Province (LWP) have encouraged all beachgoers to enjoy the city’s beautiful beaches in a responsible way, warning that the coast can sometimes be treacherous.
The partnership between the city and LWP will ensure that 115 lifeguards will voluntarily patrol the beaches daily during the school holidays. During the 2008/09 summer season lifeguards rescued more than 500 people on Cape Town’s beaches, and provided first aid treatment to about 600. Having multiple lifeguards on duty to ensure safety is a wise decision of local officials. The beach is a calming place, one where people are easy to forget that it can do them harm if they are not careful.
Gerhard Ras, Mayco member for community services, said people should view the beaches as a “wonderful privilege”, and urged them to “co-operate to make such amenities safe and enjoyable to all users”.
The LWP urges people to observe all the basic rules to assure their own safety, and that of others. These included swimming only where lifeguards were on duty and for parents to accompany young children. “Bathing only” restrictions should be observed and no one should ever swim after drinking alcohol. Anyone finding themselves in difficulty in the water should remain calm, and wave both arms above their heads. Organizations planning trips involving more than 50 people were urged to contact beach managers to ensure lifeguards were on duty.
These points illustrate the recklessness that some people might be guilty of when at the beach. However, self-harm is not the only thing that should be a major concern. The City of Cape Town has also warned of great white sharks. The warning came in the wake of reports by shark spotters that bathers and surfers were not heeding their sirens and warning calls, refusing to leave the water when a shark was spotted in the bathing area.
The city warns, “Great White sharks are apex predators and should not be taken lightly. The shark spotters are funded by the city as a service to the community, and they do not raise the alarm unless a Great White shark is in close proximity to beach users. The shark spotters provide an invaluable service under difficult circumstances and beach users should show their full support in assisting them by adhering to their instructions. Those who refuse to heed the warnings of the spotters are placing not only themselves at risk, but are indirectly placing others at risk who will need to come to their aid if they are attacked by a shark.” Sharks are a very real threat. Sharks are always on the hunt and when they see something they think might be edible; they investigate it, usually by smell, or taste.
These warnings are a great gesture to show the people of Cape Town that their safety matters to the government. They warn that although these beaches are pristinely beautiful, there are potential dangers that surround beaches.
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