Nine full time Instructors are based around South Africa and visit the classrooms of previously disadvantaged schools. Currently the WaterWise Instructors are based in Soweto, Eshowe, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Eden (Garden Route), Ceres, Paarl, Gugulethu and Khayaletsha and Mitchells Plain.
Even competent swimmers can drown so, instead of teaching kids to swim, the WaterWise Academy teaches them how to rescue their peers.They target nine to 14-year-old children since, according to the Medical Research Council, they are most at risk of death by drowning. They teach the children what to do in an emergency, who to call for help and how to initiate basic bystander CPR while they wait for an ambulance to arrive.
The children are given a basic understanding of what to do should they find themselves in an emergency and very importantly at the coast how to identify and avoid rip currents, as well as what to do if they or their friends are caught in one. The children who live inland are taught about the dangers of rivers and dams.
Transnet National Ports Authority sponsors six WaterWise Academy Instructors and the Waterwise Eden Instructor is sponsored by the Department of Agriculture. Sea Rescue funds the remaining two with public donations that are made specifically to the WaterWise Academy project.
The WaterWise Instructors visit the classrooms of disadvantaged schools and teach them, through interactive activities what is safe, and what is not, when playing near or in water.
Using the acronym PLAN (where P stands for Plan, L for Look, A for Ask and N for Never) the children are given the do’s and don'ts of basic water safety. Then for the older children the First Aid HHH (Hazards, Hello and Help) is used to teach about their own safety coming first and finely the children have great fun learning the national emergency number 10177.
Safety tips from the WaterWise Academy:
Bathers:
* Children should have responsible adult supervision around any water (including a bath, bucket and swimming pool) at all times. Statistics released by the Medical Research Council show the greatest number of drowning accidents occur amongst children aged between nine and 14. Always have someone responsible watching over children while they are swimming. Children should never be left alone near any water.
* When planning a trip to the beach choose a beach that has lifeguards on duty and swim between their flags. If this is done one need not worry about rip-currents, the lifeguards will do that, and if anyone gets into difficulty, they will help.
* Contrary to popular belief children do not thrash around and shout for help when they are drowning. They may be able to wave and shout for help when in distress, but drowning has been proven to be a silent event.
* A person who is trying to tread water, with their head tilted back, is a person in desperate need of help. They are quite possibly drowning.
* One should never turn one's back on the sea. This is most important for anglers on rocks, and something that should be reinforced in children on holiday in an unfamiliar place.
* When at the sea watch out for rip-currents. Rip currents are the greatest cause of drowning accidents along the South African coast. A rip current looks like rivers of water flowing fast out to sea against the incoming waves. A person caught in a rip-current will be swept out to sea faster than they are able to swim towards the shore. "Don’t panic or try to swim against the current. As tough as this sounds, let the current take you out to sea," advises the WaterWise Academy. "Raise one arm in the air and wave to alert people on the shore that you’re in trouble. The rip-current’s force dissipates the further out to sea it gets. At the first chance you get swim parallel to the beach until you’re free of the rip, then use the incoming waves to aid your progress to get back to shore."
* When stung by a Bluebottle, remove any tentacles that are stuck to the skin with tweezers or a gloved hand. Wash the skin with sea water and as soon as possible immerse the site of the sting in tolerably hot water. If hot water is not available apply ice packs but avoid direct contact with the skin by wrapping the ice pack in a towel. Do not apply vinegar or rub sand on the area. See a doctor who may provide further treatment if it is needed.
* If living near a river or a dam, be careful of flooding. Never try and cross a river that is in flood. Go to a safe place or simply wait for the water level to drop.
* Diving into rivers and dams is dangerous and may leave people paralysed if a rock or the bottom is struck with the head. Always walk into the water to see how deep it is or use a stick to check that there is not a sudden drop off or hole.
* If someone else needs help, use a stick or rope to pull them out of the water, or throw them something that will help them to float like a two litre empty milk container, car tube, surfboard, soccer ball, or anything else that will float.
Boaters and paddlers:
* Watch the weather forecast carefully and be prepared for the worst if weather conditions change adversely. Always let a responsible person know the route that is planned and the estimated return time. Stick to these times and routes.
* Check that craft and equipment are in good working order. Make sure the craft and trailer has a name and a land-based contact number.
* Wear a lifejacket at all times.
* Keep cell-phones, with fully charged batteries, in a watertight plastic sleeve attached to your lifejacket. Not in a locker. Carry red distress flares, a signaling mirror or CD disc, a referee’s whistle, a waterproof torch and wear brightly coloured gear, a hat and sunscreen and keep well hydrated. Make sure that there is enough drinking water on the craft.
Anglers:
* Always wear a life-jacket while fishing close to the shore’s edge, especially on cliffs or rocks. The inflatable type of life jacket will not get in the way and may well save a life.
* Be aware of the high and low tides and never turn your back to the sea. Take extra precautions during the bi-monthly spring tides.
In an emergency:
* Anyone living along the coast or visiting the coast should find out what the nearest Sea Rescue emergency telephone number is. To find out what the nearest sea rescue emergency number is go to www.searescue.org.za
* A very important emergency phone number to store in one's phone is 10177, the national emergency ambulance and rescue contact number and should only be used to report an emergency. It can be called from a cell phone or landline.
* A good emergency number that is a free call from a cell phone is 112.
- NSRI
