NSRI Wilderness Station 15
The National Sea Rescue Institute is a charity that saves lives on South African waters staffed by over 1350 highly skilled unpaid volunteers who are on call 24/7 throughout the year. With 48 stations around the country of which 23 are in the Western Cape alone, their annual running cost of over R75 million is covered by donations and sponsorships.
A fleet of over 100 rescue craft, which include JetRIBs for surf and inshore recues to the new 14.8m Offshore recue Craft can respond to emergencies at sea. Ashore ATV’s and quad bikes are used to respond and access casualties quickly while a number of tractors are used to launch craft. Basis are built to conform to the latest legislation regarding energy use, rainwater harvesting and wastewater management to ensure the building are as environmentally friendly as possible.
The NSRI came into being after a tragic incident offshore from Stilbaai in 1966 resulting in in the loss of 17 lives after three fishing boats sank which had a teacher named Patti Price starting a letter campaign to various media about the need for a sea rescue service which laid the foundation it to be established in 1967. Today the Simon’s Town base is named in her honour.
The NSRI is also involved in animal rescue. Numerous turtles, birds, seals and whales have been assisted while a number of dogs have ben rescued as well. Working with the South African Whale Disentanglement Network, 140 volunteers from 18 stations have been trained to help whales in distress resulting in about 15 callouts per year.
The NSRI’s Water Safety Education program which started in 2006 have reached over 3 million people already, mostly full-time instructors who visit schools and clubs around the country. The focus is on teaching people how to be safe in and around water, especially children. The program also creates awareness about the dangers of water, what to do when someone gets into trouble and how to help.
The SOX and NSRI parthership has been ongoing for a couple of years, highlighting the tremendous work and the involvement this organization has with the community.
