NSRI Crew Development Course Sparks Courage in Fearful Trainee

When NSRI Regional Operations Manager Danie Verwey hit the road for a two-week crew development course up the West Coast, he didn’t expect a moment so moving it would reshape his perspective on what it means to “save lives, change lives, and create futures.”

A “Hupstoot” for New Recruits

Danie, joined by Mawaxole Nkumanda and Guillaume Muir, kicked off the programme in Port Nolloth, spending five days with eight trainee crew members.

“The idea,” Danie explains, “was to develop our trainee crew’s skills as much as possible, so they become what we call a ‘supercrew’. That is anyone who is able to handle any task on shore, in the rescue vehicle, or on the boats.”

That hupstoot (boost) meant days packed with practical lessons: radio work, navigation, launching and recovery drills, towing exercises, preventative maintenance training, and plenty of physical fitness. Whether they were using the winch on the bakkie, learning to change tyres, or practising man-overboard recoveries, the message was clear: confidence comes from repetition, teamwork, and trust.

Learning by Doing and Debriefing

With such an intense schedule, safety remained the backbone of the operation.

“Every morning starts with a briefing as well as a briefing before every exercise, and before every launch. Followed by a debrief after every exercise,” says Danie. “For any water-based activity where crew are in the water, we have one of our trainers in the water with a rescue buoy as a rescue swimmer.”

The approach worked. The trainees gained valuable experience not just in skills but in mindset, staying calm, thinking clearly, and looking out for one another, whether in the water, on the boats, or on shore.

The Moment That Changed Everything

Amid all the drills and routines, one moment stood apart.

“One of the life-changing moments for me in my career of just over 10 years now,” Danie recalls, “was with Chestlin Joseph (known as Lollos).”

Lollos, one of the trainees, while from the Port Nolloth area, had never been in the water before due to fear. Her hopes as an NSRI trainee were to remain on land as a shore crew member, far from the waves that made her uneasy. But as she watched her teammates slip into their wetsuits for training, something shifted. She decided she wanted to try.

“When the rest of the team started swimming, I took her to the side and within a matter of 10 minutes, got her to actually float on her back and on her stomach by herself,” Danie recalls. “Within another half an hour between myself and Mawaxole, we actually got her to swim from one point to another by herself, unassisted.”

It was, as Danie describes, “absolutely heart-warming to witness.”

For Lolos, it was freedom. For the team, it was a reminder that courage isn’t just running into the surf during a callout. Sometimes, it’s about daring to take your first step towards the water.

Creating Futures, One Skill at a Time

By the end of two weeks across Port Nolloth, Strandfontein, and Lambert’s Bay, Danie and his team had trained dozens of crew and coxswains in everything from basic seamanship like navigation and ropework to advanced skills including emergency drills, rescue techniques and helming skills. But what stuck was the transformation.

“As our values go – saving lives, changing lives, creating futures,” Danie reflects, “during the two weeks, the main focus was teaching the trainees to save lives, but the time we spent with them actually changed their own lives completely. The skills we’re teaching them are, to a certain extent, life skills that can be used outside of the NSRI, as well.”

For Danie, the image of Lolos floating on her own, wide-eyed and grinning, will stay with him forever. “It was an absolute life-changing experience for her,” he says. “And for me too.”