The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) is appealing for public caution following the South African Weather Service (SAWS) forecasting high, rough seas and gale force winds expected along the coastal regions of South Africa over the coming days.
Localised flooding, storm surges, gale force winds and high seas are some of the winter weather phenomena expected from the approaching cold fronts which are set to reach the Western Cape coast during Thursday.
Gale force winds and high seas expected along the coast may result in damage to infrastructure and beach erosion. Disruption to Port and small harbour activities can be expected.
“With storms and high seas predicted along coastal regions our concern is for smaller vessels at sea which may have difficulty navigating through the conditions. We are also appealing to boaters, paddlers, beach goers, surfers, coastal hikers, anglers and the public to be cautious around the coastline and to follow South African Weather Service (SAWS) forecasts,” said NSRI CEO, Dr Cleeve Robertson, on Wednesday [July 8].
Dangerous waves or swells may also be caused by storm surges, resulting in coastal damage to infrastructure.
“We urge beach goers and coastal hikers to stay away from the coastline, as dangerous waves or surges may catch them off-guard and could potentially sweep them off the rocks along the shoreline,” added Robertson.
Sea going craft are encouraged to download the free NSRI RSA SafeTrax app at https://www.nsri.org.za/safetrx/
RSA SafeTrx includes a number of new features for small craft users, including:
An Emergency Call button which allows you to quickly make a distress call from the application
Share your real-time track with family and friends during your trip
Build and maintain your own safety prelaunch checklist
Choose and alert individual emergency contacts for each trip
Automatically initiates a search process should you not close your trip before your chosen ETA
SEA RESCUE EMERGENCY: 112 or 087 094 9774
Picture: Pexels
