“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”
This past weekend at sunrise, 1850 woman, across 18 locations in South Africa, went dipping in local open-water spots to make history. The iloveboobies secret swim rippled across South Africa, a mass dipping event in solidarity, to raise awareness of breast cancer, advocate for early screening and detection, honour the courage of those on the cancer journey, and gather in remembrance of those who were no longer with us.
As first for Ggeberha, 117 ladies from the greater GQ and Kariega signed up, dressed in pink, donned cossies, then hit the beach early on Saturday morning. It was an organised chaos of bodies, boobies, laughter, barefoot, and waves.
Water is a healer. It soothes, restores, and washes away the mundane. Soaking away that which no longer serves us. In its calm, we find solitude; in its flow, we find strength. As the “dippers” entered the water together they honoured survivors, remembered lost loved ones, and celebrated the power of community, kindness and sisterhood.
But water also carries risk. And so the need for a (female) water safety team. This awesome team made sure every dipper from the youngest little-ones to the determined old-timers stayed safe until they were ready to exit the water.
Few know what really happens behind the scenes. Hosting such an event requires weeks, if not months of planning and coordination. From finding the ideal location that is both safe bathing and accessible to most, to ensuring all the necessary permits are in place and authorities alerted, and all the necessary safety protocols are in place. That means having a water safety plan and safety team in place, that they are properly kitted out, and that everyone knows their role on the day. All of this ups the organising complexity and adds significantly to the cost of an event.
And for this event, I really want to commend Gqeberha’s team of first responders. Without hesitation Coastal Water Rescue (CWR), National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) and Kings Beach Lifesaving Club (KBLC), raised their hands to volunteer. We simply couldn’t have done it without their support. They provided impeccable water oversight and safety, with KBLC holding the back line on Malibu boards, NSRI and CWR members in the surf making sure the breakers didn’t overwhelm the dippers.
I’m reminded of the saying, “coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success”. Hats off to everyone involved. As a member of CWR myself, I’m supremely chuffed and couldn’t be more proud of the collaboration between the three water safety organizations. As summer approaches and we enter the holiday season, I am confident we will continue to work together closely, keeping the waters of the Bay safe.
Needless to say the iloveboobies secret swim was a huge success and GQ’s team is so honoured to have hosted. We can’t wait to be a part of this movement again next year!
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships”.
