Death walk

THE first of the summer season’s Richards Bay beach drownings happened on Saturday – and they will be the first of many.

That’s the bleak warning from police who are already battling with a disorderly public determined to swim in restricted and unsafe areas.

But the overwhelming cause of concern is the prolific amount of alcohol being consumed in the beach recreational areas.

‘It’s pointless even having ‘no swimming’ signs – these are simply ignored,’ said SAPS Border Police Sea Border unit head Lt Col Kobus Olivier.

This after police had to use pepper spray to force unruly bathers from the water the previous week.

‘Last year a person who had refused to leave the water actually ended up drowning.

‘And in the absence of by-laws, what exactly do we police when the alcohol is allowed in these areas?

‘Alcohol abuse is by far the biggest problem at inland beaches.

‘We have had dozens of drownings over the past years in the Bay Hall, Naval Island and Pelican Island areas, and we can unfortunately guarantee there will be more this summer.’

More drownings in fact occur in the general Bay Hall area than at Alkantstrand beach itself.

Added to the alcohol abuse and the broken bottles is the matter of unattended children, most of whom are unable to swim.

An additional danger is when non-swimmers attempt to rescue someone in trouble.

But it is the treacherous underfoot conditions in the calm waters inside the Bay that contribute to most of the drownings.

Especially at low tides, bathers walking from the shoreline towards deeper water suddenly encounter a sharp drop in the ocean floor – either from a ledge or a hole in the sea bed.

Unable to stand, bathers panic and inevitably try to gulp a deep breath of air, swallow water and need urgent rescue and resuscitation.

* Saturday’s drowning victims have been identified as Mr SN Shandu (26) and Hope Mlawu (8).