Surf Rescue will once again be up and running along our most popular beaches between the 22nd of December and the 5th of January.
With Discovery sponsoring the Surf Rescue initiative and ER24 pooling strategic resources with the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) and SA LifeSaving, concerned holiday makers will be pleased to hear that the beaches will be patrolled from the air via the Discovery Medicopter. During busy periods, you will be able to see one of the Discovery Medicopters in the skies over the beaches in Durban, the Western Cape, and areas between East London and Plettenberg Bay.
Operations include patrolling the beaches from the air with an ER24 Advanced Life Support (ALS) Practitioner, an NSRI Rescue Swimmer and a member of the SA LifeSaving team on board. On occasion and where deemed necessary, one of the rescue swimmers will be dropped into the ocean between the shore and breakers if there is someone in the water who is in danger. When life guards, who will be manning the beaches, have rescued someone from the water, the Discovery Medicopter will land on the beach, providing the ALS practitioner to assist with further medical care until an ambulance transports the patient to the necessary medical facility.
Keep a look out for the blue, white and red Discovery Medicopters this holiday season, and remember to always obey the rules of the beaches, and be aware of the dangers that our beautiful ocean may present!
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