With thousands of people visiting beaches along the South African coastline over the festive season, dedicated lifeguards from across the country share their experiences, highlighting the importance of public cooperation in ensuring safety at the beach.
According to Lifesaving South Africa, at least 29 people drowned between November and January 7, 2025, in the ocean, mostly at non-designated duty areas of non-lifeguarded beaches, while three cases were after duty hours in Cape Town.
Challenges faced by lifeguards
Luthando Ndlela, 18, from the Durban Surf Lifesaving Club, operates in the North Beach area and has been a volunteer lifeguard for a year. Ndlela said he performed minor help-outs over the festive period.
The most difficult part about being a lifeguard is keeping bathers in the bathing area, and another challenge is taking bathers out of the water due to safety procedures, he said.
Ndlela noted that dealing with things like aggression in mass crowds is part of the job.
“It’s part of the expectations we as lifeguards need to expect. When taking bathers out of the water, they just tend to be aggressive, and we don’t understand why, and they don’t listen. It’s a challenge for us, and we are still building and working on it,” he said.
Rewards of lifeguarding
The rewarding part of the job for Ndlela is the experience he is getting, the love of being in the sea, and helping people. He said the highlight of the festive period was seeing people happy and working with his team to keep the public safe. “Just being there, engaging and seeing people from all over the world coming and actually being here and being supportive to us,” he said.
Ndlela said lifeguards are just doing their jobs and trying to keep people safe. He said the public can assist lifeguards in saving lives by cooperating with them.
“That’s all we’re asking for. We’re not asking for much. They just need to cooperate with us. Listen to us and swim inside the bathing areas, side washes, and rescues,” said Ndlela.
Lifeguard experiences
Volunteer Earl Ingram, 46, from Seagulls Surf Lifesaving Club, who patrols Humewood Beach in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), said while he started lifesaving 38 years ago, this month marks exactly 30 years as a qualified lifeguard.
Ingram said they had zero rescues over the festive period as proactive lifeguarding prevents rescues. “Keeping our stats at zero drownings over the festive period was the most rewarding and having the odd bather coming up to you and saying thank you for your service,” he said.
According to Ingram, the most difficult aspect of working over the festive season was being understaffed, as most of his club members take up seasonal jobs at the municipality, leaving skeleton staff to man the beaches. “Having to deal with intoxicated bathers all day while on duty,” was also a challenge, he said.
Ingram said from December 26 to January 1, they experienced a constant East/South Easterly wind blowing massive amounts of bluebottles onto the shore.
“We had so many reported stings that we ran out of vinegar. That did not deter the public from the water. I was on duty on New Year’s Day 2024, but 2025 numbers were double that of 2024,” he stated.
He wanted the public to know that lifeguards save lives and are there for their safety. “The public can help us save lives by swimming at beaches that are patrolled by lifeguards, as 99% of drowning occurs in unpatrolled locations.”
Another Gqeberha volunteer, Tristan Marais, 17, from Kings Beach Surf Lifesaving Club, is a qualified senior squad lead who has been patrolling Kings Beach for four years.
He said what was most challenging during this period was attending to missing children on the beach, as this drew his attention away from the surf, where a lifeguard’s main focus should be to prevent any drownings from happening.
He said the most rewarding aspect of the festive season was that he assisted many people, and as a result, he contributed to Kings Beach remaining a drown-free beach. Tristan said that he has had to deal with difficult members of the public often while performing his duties.
“The way I deal with difficult members of the public is that I try to remain patient, calm, and respectful towards them and explain to them the importance of where to swim at the beach, as well as the dangers that can occur when they don’t listen to the lifeguards,” he said.
As a people’s person, Tristan says what keeps him motivated as a lifeguard is assisting and helping others. “Making sure everyone is safe at the beach is very important to me.”
Tristan said lifeguards are not there to spoil your day but to make sure you are safe at all times.
“Listening to us is essential for your safety. It’s important to know that members of the public need to swim between the red and yellow flags, as this is the safest place on the beach. No alcohol is tolerated on the beach, as this can lead to drowning,” he said, adding that bathers need to listen to lifeguard whistles for instructions.
He advised parents to supervise their children on the beach and called on the public to assist lifeguards by reporting emergency situations as far as possible. He also noted that if people listen to lifeguards, others will follow suit.
Tristan said what the public should know about lifeguards is that they spend long hours in the sun, often without any breaks, especially during the festive season. “A friendly smile with a thank you means a lot to us after a long day.”
Darren Willars, 62, has been a lifeguard since 1985 and has spent the last 20 years at Big Bay Surf Lifesaving Club in Cape Town performing both volunteer and paid lifeguarding. He said while there have been quite a few help-outs this festive season with either torpedo buoys, rescue boards, or IRB jetski, nothing drastic occurred.
“The most difficult part over the festive season is dealing with the crowds, keeping them safe, and making sure no one drowns,” he said.
Willars said being a lifeguard is a way of life. “Being able to help people in need and teach them how to respect the ocean, that’s what keeps me going.
“Whether we are doing it voluntarily or being paid for it, lifeguards are there to protect the public, so please respect us and listen to our advice; it will save your lives,” he said.
