Before a child needs rescuing: water safety at Sugar Bay

A teacher from Curro Hazeldean recently commented on Sugar Bay’s yellow rash vests and asked how our approach to water safety had developed.

It took me back to the year I spent planning the camp before we opened in 2001. I wanted children to enjoy the ocean as much as I did. Working out how to give them that freedom safely was one of my biggest responsibilities.

At Sugar Bay Camp in Zinkwazi Beach, on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast of South Africa, that work begins long before children enter the water.

Why prevention comes first

While researching Sugar Bay, I trained as a lifeguard. If I was going to ask our counselors to take responsibility for children in the ocean, I wanted to understand what that involved myself.

The principle I keep coming back to is prevention. We need to be ready to respond to an emergency, and we need to keep asking what we can do to stop a child getting into difficulty.

In its World Drowning Prevention Day 2024 information, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) puts the number of children under 14 who drown in South Africa at around 450 each year. For anyone responsible for children around water, that is a sobering figure.

Swim tests and yellow rash vests

At camp, the work starts with understanding a child’s swimming ability. Our swim test includes swimming two lengths and treading water. Teachers who want to participate in water activities are assessed too. Being an adult doesn’t tell us how well someone swims.

The rash vests are part of that work. Their bright yellow colour helps our staff spot campers in the water and distinguish them from other beachgoers.

A subtle difference on the sleeves identifies weaker swimmers and non-swimmers, so staff know who needs additional support without putting those children in a conspicuously different outfit. Those children also wear life jackets during water activities, including in the swimming pool.

Preparing children before they reach the beach

Before heading to the beach, we explain currents, tides and the rules for our swimming sessions. We do this at camp, while we still have the children’s attention. Once they see the beach, listening to a safety talk becomes a much harder ask.

We also teach our buddy and whistle systems, so children know how to respond when we check that everyone is accounted for or call them out of the water.

At Zinkwazi, the water often moves swimmers sideways along the beach. Our lifeguards take that movement into account when setting up our swimming area.

During our supervised sessions, we use a camp-specific flag system to mark entry and exit points, with counselors in the water at the boundaries and exit.

Lifeguards and Ocean Warriors training

That needs a team who understand their roles. Alongside our qualified lifeguards, we have developed an in-house training programme called Ocean Warriors. It helps counselors become more confident in the ocean and learn how to support children while working with the lifeguards.

Helping children build confidence in the water

Some children arrive comfortable in the sea. Others are nervous about putting their faces underwater. I want them to have room to build confidence within the limits we have set for them, with people nearby who understand both their ability and their uncertainty.

In our outreach work with local schools and communities, those first steps can be smaller still. Sometimes it takes a long, patient session in shallow water to help a child become comfortable putting their face underwater.

One example was our Swim Safe workshop for 40 Grade 7 learners from Bongimfundo Primary School on 17 July 2024. Read about Bongimfundo Primary’s visit to Sugar Bay.

I would welcome a conversation with other camps and schools about how they approach water safety, and I’m happy to share our protocols. Please contact Sugar Bay if you would like to discuss them.

I want children to leave with a love of the ocean. Much of the work that makes that possible happens before they get in.

Notes from a camp director. By Zoë Ellender.

More information for parents

Read about safety and supervision at Sugar Bay.

Our first-time parent guide explains the camp experience.

For planning a stay, see the current holiday camp dates and prices.