The need for Water Safety Education is obvious if we consider the drowning statistics in our country. Rural underserved communities in particular are vulnerable to drownings in farm dams, rivers and streams. Without formal swimming skills people too often find themselves in trouble.
The NSRI’s programme presents an effective Water Safety curriculum to create awareness about the dangers of water, what to do if someone gets into trouble, how to help a friend in need, how to perform bystander CPR and who to call for help.
Today the NSRI has 21 full-time instructors who visit schools and clubs around the country and teach people about water-safety issues – using colourful teaching materials and a mannequin to demonstrate bystander CPR. The lessons are designed to fit into a normal school schedule, are presented in a fun and interactive way, are age-appropriate and delivered in the mother tongue of the learners.
Since the programme started in 2006 we have taught over 3 million people. In 2017 the NSRI’s Water Safety Education programme received international recognition as the proud runner up for an Outstanding Team Contribution in the International Maritime Rescue Federation awards.
It costs R12 per child for a Water Safety lesson. Please help.
The NSRI has three core Drowning Prevention programmes – Water Safety Education, Pink Rescue Buoys and Survival Swimming – and offers a range of free resources and educational materials.
To date, over 3 million people, predominantly primary-school learners, have been taught water safety skills.
“Learning Water Safety and peer-rescue skills such as CPR and basic rescue techniques from a young age can help save a life! Always remember, drowning is silent.”
When 335 young people gathered at the recent Western Cape Scouting-in-Schools leadership development Camp, they expected just a week of Scouting, leadership and fun. With the support of the NSRI, many left with an additional life skill that could save lives: confidence in the water. And, for over a hundred, the beginning of a potential future in water safety, lifeguarding and volunteering with the NSRI.
When Petro Meyer joined the NSRI on 1 September 2018, she couldn’t have imagined she’d one day be teaching in a swimming pool that arrived inside a shipping container. But her enthusiasm had already put her ahead of the curve.
When seconds matter, distance makes all the difference. That’s the thinking behind the National Sea Rescue Institute’s newest satellite (SAT) station at Fish Hoek. It’s a compact but potent addition designed to cut response times for surfski emergencies and drownings in progress across False Bay’s busy waters.
On 8 December, the still waters of Elandsberg Dam rippled with laughter, courage, and determination. It was the National Sea Rescue Institute’s annual survival swimming exercise for children who graduated from the Riebeek Kasteel Survival Swimming Centre – a day when safety met community spirit and young learners put the lessons they had practised in a container pool to the test in a dam.
Cape Town’s summer coastline is renowned worldwide for its blue waters, consistent winds, and big-air heroics. But beneath the beauty lies the kind of power that commands respect. Following the tragic passing of South African kiteboarder Graham Howes, his family and the NSRI have launched a fundraiser for a new rescue vessel in his name. The initiative honours Graham’s adventurous spirit while creating a legacy that will continue saving lives along South Africa’s unforgiving shores.
Cape Town – 10 December 2025: As the summer school holidays start, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) would like to take this opportunity to wish everybody a safe and joyful festive season. We hope that everyone enjoys time with loved ones, takes the opportunity to recharge, and steps into the New Year refreshed.
