Passion and sacrifice in the line of duty
The sun is out and a westerly breeze gives rise to perfect swells along Durban's Golden Mile. As joggers fill the promenade, surfers rip through the morning barrels. This is just another day at the office for lifeguards Diyaksha Bramdeo and Marc Pillay.
Since their early days at the Pirates Lifesaving Club "Nippers Academy", getting up at the break of dawn and gearing up for whatever the day held for them is a matter of passion and purpose.
The club was started in 1928 and the Nippers Academy trains youngsters to become lifeguards.
For Bramdeo, 28, an advert on the wall of Kings Park Pool, calling on young swimmers to join the nippers squad, was fate on paper.
She was 5-years-old at the time, but still recalls the fire that sparked when she saw the poster calling for nippers to join.
“I came across the advert and my told me it was a recuiting poster. I used to train at Kings Park Pool for technical swimming at the time. One day, when my dad and I were leaving, I saw the advert and I asked my father to take me to the club. My mother was obviously a bit hesitant but my father took me anyway. They signed me up for the Nippers Academy the same day and I have been with the club for more than 20 years,” said Bramdeo, of Clare Estate.
She became a junior lifeguard at 14 and a senior lifeguard at 15.
Bramdeo said when she first started swimming in the ocean, it was difficult because still water swimming strokes were different.
"The ocean demands a lot more from you because of the waves and the current. Your stroke needs to be much wider, and your head needs to stay up as well. The tides can change while swimming. It took some time to learn about everything else but swimming. I needed to gain knowledge of the ocean.
“My coach taught me to read the ocean but it took a good four to five years to understand the job. You have to know how to read the ocean and people. You need to learn their behaviour and immediately identify who is going to be a problem or not."
On occasion, Bramdeo mentors the new generation of nippers.
She said it felt good to be back at a place where she started but through the opposite lens.
Her average shift as a lifeguard starts on weekends and public holidays from 7.30am and ends around 6:30pm, depending on the crowd.
"One of the first things a lifeguard has to do when he or she starts duty, is to mark the swim areas with flags. This is done by visually assessing the behaviour of the water, rip direction and sand bank stability. Given the dynamic nature of the ocean, this swimming safety area can change as the day progresses."
Bramdeo said the safety area was often tested by unruly bathers, who do not always abide by the rules.
"Sometimes nature has her own plans and the salty breeze and summer haze can turn deadly. Dealing with death on the job is the double edged sword a lifeguard must wield.
“One of the worst days on the job was at the beginning of this year. It was a really busy day with hundreds of people on the beach. There was a group of bathers, children as well, that were out in the middle of the bathing area when the sand bank collapsed.
“We all ran in because there were people calling for help all over. We each had to grab two people at a time, so it was difficult to get to everyone. Unfortunately, two girls went under and we could not see them. I think every time someone dies, it still lingers for a couple days. You can still hear the screams and splashing of the water. But it passes and the counselling the club offers helps so you learn to accept it."
The medical orthotist and prosthetist spends her weekdays designing prosthetic limbs for patients at Wentworth Hospital.
Pillay, 27, of Reservoir Hills, said his dad was in the South Africa navy and this prompted him to become a lifeguard.
“I can still remember, we went to the beach and I saw the nippers training with their instructor. I was curious. I was in competitive swimming at the time and was pretty good. I swam for KwaZulu-Natal and was a 400m freestyle specialist. I worried my father to take me back to the beach and I then joined the Nippers Academy. I was 9 and it was nerve-wracking, mainly because I was scared of the ocean.
“My first instructor took the fear of the ocean out of me in one day. He made me do push-ups, while the waves came at me and he made me go deeper into the ocean until I was underwater. After that day, I was good to go and have been in love with the job since."
He became a junior lifeguard at 14 and senior lifeguard at 16.
The civil engineer said there was "a huge level of sacrifice" that goes with the job.
"And I learnt that early on. At first, it was like a new sport for me; just being out in the water with the instructor and learning new techniques. But then I started liking the job and being in the ocean. Now, it’s more love and passion. I enjoy being in the atmosphere with my colleagues, joking around but still being in that zone where you are ready to act.
“I remember one day, I was still in matric. There was a rescue in progress and my team leader told me to get the boat ready. I had never used the inflatable rescue boat before, so I was excited. I sat the boat up and we launched and did the rescue."
He said most people were thankful to lifeguards when they were rescued unless they were drunk.
"Those are the worst cases."
Having gone through the life of a college student, while being a voluntary lifeguard, Pillay bounced around diets. But he now maintains a healthy eating regimen with the occasional bunny chow for lunch when the team is together.
"The most gratifying part about being a lifeguard is the validation I get from helping people. We do get some isolated incidents and sad days when a person drowns. I think for the most part, we do a really good job at keeping our bathers safe. It is a duty to us not just a job. And We have a team of good lifeguards with tons of experience."
During the festive period, around 5 000 bathers use the beach from the Snake Park Pier to Suncoast Beach. Pillay and Bramdeo said they were expecting yet another busy holiday.
Daya Sewduth, the the president of Life Saving SA, said: “Marc and Diyaksha have shown over the years, what it takes to focus on their schooling and tertiary studies and then sit all day in the sun, rain and wind over weekends to ensure the bathers are kept safe. They demonstrate selfless, humanitarian values, which are true of the members at our 86 clubs across the country.”
The Durban beachfront has a hybrid system, consisting of municipal and voluntary lifeguards.
“Pros and volunteers work side by side but in other areas where there are no pros employed, then it is only voluntary lifeguards who are on duty on weekends and public holidays. The collaboration differs. In some areas, the pros take full control and the volunteers serve as back-up whereas in other areas, they work side-by-side and communicate effectively on crowd control and rescues."
Lifesaving SA has more than 8 000 volunteers. During peak seasons, there could be up to 42 00 members involved in voluntary duties at beaches, pools and inland waterways on a rotational basis. Their youngest members are between six and eight-years-old, while some seasoned members stay on until their 70s.
eThekwini Municipality spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said the City employs 120 full time lifeguards and 104 seasonal.
‘’Enhanced safety: with more eyes on the water and more hands-on deck, the team can respond quickly and effectively in emergency situations. Increased efficiency: Volunteers help with tasks such as providing information to visitors and supporting lifeguards during rescues.
‘’Skill development: Volunteers gain valuable experience and training by working alongside professional lifeguards,“ Sisilana said.
To contact Lifesaving SA and inquire about joining the nippers academy, call 031 312 9251 or e-mail headoffice@lifesaving.co.za