MARKING OF A MAJOR MILESTONE

The official opening of Club Med South Africa Beach & Safari on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast on Saturday, 4 July, was a proud moment for the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI). Following a formal tender process, the NSRI was selected to deliver professional water safety and lifeguarding services for the new resort. The appointment recognises the NSRI’s experience in lifeguarding, rescue, and drowning prevention.

Professional Water Safety Services

The partnership includes structured supervision across the resort’s water environments, including a dam and six swimming pools. Also included is the public beach, where NSRI lifeguards will work closely with KwaDukuza Municipality lifeguards, who are responsible for bather safety there. The employment of 40 lifeguards, mostly locals, all trained and certified by the NSRI, strengthens rescue capacity on KwaZulu Natal’s North Coast. This comes at a time when rising tourism and recreational water activities have increased the need for professional water safety, prevention, and early response.

The programme creates skilled positions for these lifeguards, giving them professional qualifications and experience that build long-term water safety capacity in the region. “We are proud to partner with the NSRI to provide lifeguarding services at Club Med South Africa,” said Barq Guessoum, Resort Manager. “The NSRI’s reputation for excellence in water safety made them the natural choice to help keep our guests safe at our pools and on the beach. We are confident that our guests will enjoy the resort’s facilities, knowing they are in the most capable hands.”

A Broader Drowning Prevention Mission

“Club Med’s trust in the NSRI to fulfil this role is something we are very proud of,” said Mike Vonk, Chief Executive Officer of the NSRI. “It is a strong endorsement of the capability we have built across our organisation over many years. That capability was equally evident in the way Station Commander Mike Bishop and the crew at Station 41 Ballito supported our training and operations team as they established operations at the resort.

It speaks to the strength of the NSRI network.” Vonk added that the appointment reflects the full breadth of the NSRI’s work. “Many people know the NSRI through dramatic rescues at sea. That will always be central to who we are. But our mission is equally about drowning prevention: keeping people safe before an emergency happens. Lifeguarding, water safety education, survival swimming, public rescue equipment and emergency response are all part of the same drowning-prevention mission.”

Building a Safer Water Safety Culture

Furthermore, the NSRI’s partnership with Club Med is an example of how a non-profit organisation (NPO) can apply its specialist capability in a professional, mission-aligned way. “As an NPO, our mission is to save lives and prevent drowning. Putting our expertise to work in environments like this is our mission in practice,” said Vonk. “This work creates employment, builds local capability, upholds high safety standards and extends the reach of our lifesaving mission.” The appointment of the NSRI to provide water safety and lifeguarding services for Club Med South Africa Beach & Safari is an important reminder that water safety is essential infrastructure. Where people gather around water, safety must be planned and professional.

www.nsri.org.za

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