The City of Cape Town’s recreation and parks department implemented an awareness component within the Beach Buddies project at Harmony Park which will highlight the dangers and consequences of diving from the jetty at Harmony Park in Gordon’s Bay to beach users.
The Beach Buddies are made up of eight disabled individuals and their four dedicated helpers.
“I am especially proud of the City’s Beach Buddies as they are making a significant impact on creating an inclusive and accessible environment for all. The Wave Challenge event exemplifies our commitment to supporting initiatives that foster community spirit and inclusion,” said Councillor Patricia van der Ross, the City’s Mayco member for community services and health.
Since late last year a group of disabled individuals has engaged several City departments to establish a project for the 2022-’23 season (“Resort casualties proactive,” DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette, 19 October 2022).
But the group kept persisting, and at the end of October last year received positive feedback from the City (“Project not nose-diving just yet,” DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette, 27 October 2022).
This year it seems all is on track and the group is officially part of the Beach Buddies project.
Said Hartnick: “The awareness and prevention campaign from last season was successful with no spinal injuries or deaths. We are expecting a lot of visitors this year because of the closure of Kogel Bay. This is not just a job for us, it’s a true passion. We would love to be employed as permanent seasonal workers in the future.”
The awareness project was launched by the City in conjunction with the Wave Challenge event held in Muizenberg last weekend to celebrate International Day for Persons with Disabilities, when the iconic Surfer’s Corner buzzed with more than 40 surfers, 120 volunteers, their families, friends and supporters.
“The City is not only a proud supporter of this event, but we are committed to making as many of our world class facilities and beaches accessible to all. The event has become a fixture on the calendar and this year was once again a huge success. We celebrated persons with disabilities and enjoyed the best of what Cape Town has to offer,” said Councillor Van der Ross.
This year’s event set a record with the successful completion of the Wave Challenge, inclusive of adaptive surfers and their support teams.
Muizenberg Beach, Cape Town’s flagship universal access beach, is equipped with designated parking spaces for persons with disabilities, ramps, handrails, ablution facilities, a universal access beach mat and an amphibious wheelchair.
This allows persons with disabilities to easily access and submerge directly in the water.
Throughout the event, organisers had access to the amphibious beach wheelchair and Mobi-Mat for universal access.
City staff supported with logistics, permit applications, ensured that lifeguards were on duty and made equipment accessible when needed.
The Roxy Davis Foundation organised the event to cover the costs of 30 new adaptive surfers, enabling each one to receive six surf therapy sessions in 2024.
The special day aimed to highlight inclusion and community adaptability. The Surf Therapy programme’s positive impact on adaptive surfers was showcased, emphasizing the extraordinary moments created by everyday people.
The day featured various activities, including a talk about the positive impact of nature and the ocean on well-being, an environmental awareness programme, safety briefings, Surf Like Me sessions, the Wave Challenge, and more.
The Roxy Davis Foundation expressed gratitude for the support of volunteers, the City, NSRI and the Beach Buddy programme.
“The wave with the most number of adaptive surfers on it was 24 and it is currently an unofficial record. The foundation hopes to make it official and we plan to submit it to Guinness World Records, symbolising our collective dedication to pushing boundaries and making waves in the world of inclusivity and community,” said Davis.
