Coastal areas in Table View and Milnerton are on high alert for rough seas and big waves along the shoreline after a warning issued by the South African Weather Services (SAWS).
The warning alerted residents to rough sea conditions and big waves along the West Coast, which will potentially extend to other areas, for the next few days.
The SAWS says the rough sea conditions may also be affected by the full moon Spring tide that peaked on Thursday 23 May – bringing the normal daily two high tides and daily two low tides to be higher than normal at high tide and to be lower than normal at low tide.
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) has issued warnings for hazardous conditions, urging residents and visitors to exercise caution.
The NSRI, in cooperation with the police, maritime authorities, disaster risk management and emergency services, are appealing to boaters, sailors, paddlers, bathers, anglers and coastal hikers to be on high alert.
READ: Tide causes havoc along coastline
Spring tide
Spring tides may cause stronger than normal rip currents and areas that are not normally affected by waves at high tide may be engulfed by waves during the Spring high tide.
Just last week, TygerBurger reported of two men from the Northern Cape who lost their lives due to apparent high tides while fishing in Bloubergstrand.
Pierre Lotter, Willem Pretorius and the three dachshund dogs went fishing at Kids Rock in Bloubergstrand last Tuesday 14 May.
At the time of their disappearance, Hein Köhne, NSRI Melkbosstrand station commander, said they were alerted by concerned relatives of the two men and their three dogs, last heard from around 18:30 on Tuesday after going fishing in the Bloubergstrand area, on Kids Rock, in the afternoon.
“We believe they had reached the rock at low tide, but during the incoming high tide that peaked at 20:30, we suspect somewhere between 18:30 and 19:30, they may have tried to swim across the channel,” Köhne said.
READ: Bloubergstrand fishing trip: Body of missing Kathu man, dogs found in Melkbosstrand
Free app
The NSRI has a free app that will help those at sea and be a possible lifeline for many in the future..
The SafeTrx smart phone application monitors a boat’s journey and alerts emergency contacts, who are nominated by the user (family and friends), should they fail to return to shore on time.
Lambinon says.
Visit the NSRI’s website to download the app.
- Anglers should note high tide times and stay clear from the shoreline during the two daily high tides. “Anglers should avoid crossing to islands along the coastline during the low tide – to fish – as these islands can be cut off from mainland during high tides.
- Coastal hikers should not try to cross at river mouths, where currents can be particularly strong during the outgoing tide and do to try to cross through hiking trails that are close to the shoreline during high tide (where Spring high tide can cut off shoreline hiking trails).
- Boaters, sailors and paddlers should wear their life jackets while their craft and/or vessels are underway and during rough sea conditions, and to always have safety equipment at the ready,” Lambinon says.
