The National Sea Rescue Institute has installed two pink rescue buoys just off Kleinbaai in Bloubergstrand following the drowning of two Northern Cape men and their dogs at Kids Rock last month.
According to reports, Pierre Lotter, 23, and his uncle, Willem Pretorius, 47, were fishing at Kids Rock with their three dachshunds on Tuesday May 14 when they were swept into the sea (“Tragic end to search for man, 23, and three dogs,” Tabletalk, May 22).
Mr Pretorius’s body and one of the three dogs washed up that same evening, but Mr Lotter’s body and the bodies of the other two dogs were only recovered five days later, on Sunday May 19.
NSRI station commander Hein Kohne said the drownings had had a profound impact on the NSRI crew along with the men’s family and friends.
"We trust that by putting pink buoys up at Kids Rock, we will remind people of the danger of going out to these rocks and provide emergency aid if someone is caught there in the future," said Mr Kohne.
After consulting the City’s coastal and environmental management department, they had been placed about 200 metres offshore of Kleinbaai as a hazard warning and “in loving memory of Pierre, Willem, and their three dachshunds, Ranger, Skyle, and Zia”, he said.
NSRI operations director Brett Ayres said the pink buoys had been used to rescue 183 people along the South African coastline since the project’s launch in 2017.
"We are sure that with the growing number of pink buoy custodians, they will be used to help many more people who are in danger of drowning," he said.
He encouraged anglers to wear their life jackets and practise proper safety measures, including being aware of high and low tide levels, and, most importantly, notifying others of your whereabouts.
Everyone should have the NSRI’s emergency number, 087 094 9774, saved on their cellphones, he said.