SOUTH CAPE NEWSFLASH - For South Africans summertime spells fun, sunshine and outdoor activities involving watersport and swimming.

However, it can unfortunately also be a time fraught with tragedy for those who are inexperienced, unable to swim and who may for some or other reason be vulnerable to drowning.

David Stanton, head of clinical leadership at Netcare 911 asserts that emergency medical services providers tend to receive more calls related to drowning and water-associated emergency incidents during December and January than any other months.

“Incidents of drowning are also significantly higher in the coastal areas than inland. Looking at data extracted from Netcare 911 for the period 1 October 2016 to 30 September 2017, as much as 62% of all drowning incidents occurred during peak summer months. 

"When reviewing statistics for the entire year, coastal areas reflect 55% of all drowning incidents.”

Read more in Thursdays’ South Cape Forum, as well as online.

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