Cape Town's beach safety plan

Summer safety plan launched for Cape Town's beachgoers Cape Town's Festive Season Safety Plan involves the deployment of 400-500 lifeguards at the following beaches during the summer season: Big Bay (Blue Flag); Clovelly; Fish Hoek; Macassar; Maiden's Cove; Strandfontein (Blue Flag); Milnerton; Glencairn; Muizenberg (Blue Flag); Strand; Silwerstroom; Alpha; Clifton (Blue Flag); St James; False Bay; Kogel Bay; Danger; Mnandi (Blue Flag); Llandudno (Blue Flag); Bikini (Blue Flag); Hout Bay; Camps Bay (Blue Flag); Gordon's Bay; and Monwabisi.

Lifeguards are on duty from 10.00-18.00, with the following timetable: 5 Oct-30 Nov at all the above beaches on weekends only; 1-31 December on all beaches daily; all non-Blue Flag beaches on weekends, public holidays and school holidays from 1 Jan-2 May; and all Blue Flag beaches daily from 1 Dec-31 March.

Beachgoers are advised to swim only where signs indicate that it is safe. They are asked to avoid alcohol before swimming or operating motor boats; not to use small boats during bad weather; not to dive from tidal pool walls and to use sun screen.

They are also warned of the dangers of rip currents. If caught in one swimmers should try to relax and swim slowly parallel to the shoreline or else let themselves be taken by the current out past the breakers until it fades out.

To report swimming emergencies contact the city's emergency services tel. 107, on landline or tel. 0214807700 from a mobile number. Over a million people visited Cape Town's beaches last summer.