Cape Town - In preparation for summer, seasonal lifeguard assessments are already under way for beach and pool positions.
The annual lifeguard assessments coincide with World Drowning Prevention Day on July 25, which is fitting, considering the critical role lifeguards have in the City’s broader Drowning Prevention Programme, which aims to reduce drowning incidents and enhance safe swimming.
The City recruits about 600 seasonal lifeguards annually to support its core group of permanent senior lifeguards.
The City said that together, this team aim to prevent drownings through their active patrolling and monitoring of bathing areas, promote safe swimming practices, educate the public and train new lifeguard recruits.
The Recreation and Parks Department received over 1 400 applications for seasonal lifeguard positions.
The assessments started on July 15-19 and dates are July 22-26, and August 5-8 and 12-16.
Candidates must pass a swim and rescue test, demonstrate required first aid skills, and meet specific swimming requirements: swimming 100 meters in under two minutes for pool lifeguards, and 400 meters in under eight minutes for beach lifeguards.
Applicants also need to have a clean criminal record and be drug-free.
Mayco member for Community Services and Health, Patricia van der Ross said: “I want to thank those candidates who have turned out for the assessments to date, and those who’ll be assessed in the weeks to come. I wish you the best of luck.
“I also want to encourage young people to get involved with swimming or lifesaving clubs. It’s not only a good way to improve your swimming skills and knowledge of water safety, but could be the first step to being a future lifeguard.
“There is always demand for this skill, and the bigger our pool of potential candidates, the safer Cape Town’s bathing spots will be,” said Van der Ross.
The City’s proactive approach to training and deploying skilled lifeguards underscores its commitment to preventing drownings and ensuring the safety of its residents and visitors, it said.
Over the past three years, drowning statistics have improved. Fatal drownings were down 26% in the 2023/24 summer season compared to the season before.
In all, 30 non-fatal drownings, 14 fatal drownings and 80 rescues were recorded along the coast in the 2023/24 season.
There were no fatal or non-fatal drownings at municipal swimming pools.
Importantly, all fatal drownings occurred outside designated bathing areas or during times when lifeguards were not on duty, highlighting the critical role of lifeguards in ensuring water safety.
This underscores the importance of lifeguard presence and the effectiveness of our Drowning Prevention Programme, the City said.
“Water safety is a global issue that extends beyond Cape Town, and that is why we observe World Drowning Prevention Day. The City has responded by refining its operations, informed by detailed observations and data analysis,” said Van der Ross.
“And while we have noted a slight downturn in the number of fatal drowning incidents, it is heart-breaking to know that all of the fatal drowning incidents that have occurred over the past two summers took place outside of designated bathing areas, or outside of lifeguard duty hours.
“One silver lining was the very notable achievement of zero fatal drownings at Strand Beach, the first in five years. This success is attributed to the vigilance of our lifeguards and strong partnerships in drowning prevention that we will look to build on in the season that’s to come,” added Van der Ross.