For anyone who was planning on surfing, boating, or paddling in the next few days, it may not be the best idea. The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) is urging the public to take caution around the coast, as the tides are likely to have increased intensity in the next week.
The full moon Spring tide phase will peak on Sunday, July 5 and it will bring higher than normal Spring high tides and lower than normal Spring low tides. This will persist until the end of next week, thus caution around the coast is advised.
In addition, the South African Weather Service (SAWS) has forecast a cold front for the Western Cape around Saturday afternoon [July 4].
The combination of high seas, the Spring tide, and the cold front are expected along the South and South-West coastline persisting into Monday morning [July 6].
“The concern is for smaller vessels at sea navigating through the conditions as well as for beach goers and coastal hikers who may be caught off-guard by large waves at Spring high tide that could potentially sweep them off the rocks along the shoreline,” said NSRI CEO Dr. Cleeve Robertson.
“We are appealing to boaters, paddlers, beach goers, surfers, coastal hikers, anglers and the public to be cautious around the coastline and to follow SA Weather Service (SAWS) forecasts,” added Dr. Robertson.
The NSRI are also urging boaters and paddlers to download the NSRI RSA SafeTrx app. It features an emergency call button which allows you to quickly make a distress call, share your real-time track with family and friends, build and maintain your own safety relaunch checklist, choose and alert emergency contacts, and it automatically initiates a search process should you not close your trip before your chosen ETA.
Picture: Facebook / NSRI
