Do not fear the NSRI is here!!

 On the Back Chat Show today, we had the CEO Cleeve Robertson of The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI).The National Sea Rescue Institute is a volunteer rescue organisation that is on call 24/7. Their mission is to save lives on South African waters. They are more than a rescue service. We educate communities and strive to innovate and constantly evolve and extend our water-safety initiatives through empowerment and visibility.

The National Sea Rescue Institute is 55 years old, it was established in 1967. There were 17 fishermen that drowned along the South Cape coast, then a Lady called Patti Price,who noticed these horrible incidents and started writing to the government and to everyone saying we should have a rescue service along our coast. 

About 5 years later they established 15 stations along the coast up to Mossel Bay, now they have about 75 stations along the coast, beaches and harbours. Ever since then they have extended their mandate to provide Drowning Prevention Educational and Skills Development, Water Safety Education for School Children and teaching them survival swimming.

They go through alot of challenges when on missions, it is becoming worse because of climate change, the conditions the rescue team goes through hectic rough and cold seas, The training and equipment that they use is quite expensive and since they are an NGO they are in need of funding.

The National Sea Rescue Institute has an application called Safety TRX, it is a smartphone application, how it works is that you log on the app when you are about to go on a boat, canno or fishing. Then if you come across an emergency while you in the sea, you can push a red button then it will alert them where your exact location is and they will be there to rescue you. It speeds up the whole search and rescue situation and in which I believe that is awesome.

NSRI is an excellent organisation They are doing such wonderful work in teaching young to old people to swim. Swimming is skill that can be taught and you will never forget and it is amazing to have organisations like National Sea Rescue Institute to be able to teach this skill and evens way more for free, if you would like to volunteer you can go to the nearest station and and do so. Please do show some support and like and follow their pages and if you can do more please go over their website contact them and donate or sponsor them. You could be changing alot of lives...

Their socials are :

Facebook: NSRI

Instagram: sereascuesa

Website: https://www.nsri.org.za/rescue

Presenter: Renato

Producer : Lydia M