Jeffrey’s Bay, NSRI Station 37, Gains a New Rescue Runner

Discovery, today assisted the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) to continue making a meaningful difference by keeping South Africans safe at sea with the launch of the final rescue runner in the Jefferey’s Bay region.

The launch provided an opportunity for those present to also better understand the intricacies that go into a sea rescue, and how critical the equipment and people who carry out this operation actually are.

NSRI CEO, Ian Wienburg says, “Over the last few years Discovery has played an enormous part in keeping our in-shore waters safe. To convert this into Rands and cents is impossible as how does one put a value on the life of an 11 year old child brought safely to shore on this purpose-made craft.”

NSRI provides a critical service to the South African nation and is run by 980 unpaid volunteers who are on standby day and night throughout the year. There are 32 coastal and three inland rescue bases with a fleet of 92 rescue crafts and 27 vehicles in total.

“Discovery is proud to have been able to assist the NSRI with the twelve runners. We believe that the NSRI share our passion for keeping people healthy and safe, and understanding the true value of a person’s life” says Jody Foster, Head of Sponsorships at Discovery .

Jeffrey’s Bay, arguably one of the most famous international surfing destinations in South Africa, will benefit by having this Discovery Rescue Runner which will play a pivotal role in the types of rescue operations foreseeable.

Putting their lives at risk to save other lives and facing dangerous conditions at sea are daily requirements of an NSRI volunteer. Being able to do this though relies on proper training, the correct equipment and the runners.

To date over 24 737 persons have been assisted by the NSRI and an estimated 15 579 operations conducted along the South Africa coastline.