National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI)

The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) is run by 980 highly skilled, unpaid volunteers along the coast and inland dams. These selfless men and women risk their lives to save people or animals in distress and are on standby day and night throughout the year. We rely on donations and sponsorships to cover our annual running costs of R25 million.

There are 32 coastal and three inland rescue bases, a fleet of 92 rescue craft, 27 vehicles and access to a range of helicopters. Our education arm, WaterWise, targets disadvantaged children and teaches them what to do in an emergency by showing them how to conduct CPR while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.