BLUE ROCK WATERSKI RESORT RESPONSE TO CARTE BLANCHE

There have been many misconceptions and false truths spread about Blue Rock online over the past few weeks. While we understand many of the concerns raised regarding certain subjects, we would like to address these points and give our input to help clarify a few things. 

We care about safety:

Blue Rock has been operating since 2003. Whilst analysing our incident report log, we have realised that over the past 17 years, there have been no fatal incidents at Blue Rock in regards to the various activities we have on offer - cable skiing, paintball, ziplining, stand-up paddling, canoeing, wakeboarding, kneeboarding, and waterskiing. All accidents to date were not related to any of these activities and can be categorised as one of the following:

1. Inability to swim.

2. Disregarding safety guidelines.

3. Diving (commercial/scuba) related incidents that are not under the supervision of Blue Rock Safety Staff.

Blue Rock is checked regularly by all relevant authorities, especially before the season or any big events. Various safety departments, including the department of labour, health & safety, risk management, fire, traffic and police, always make sure that the necessary checks are done and that the facility is in order. Blue Rock also has all the relevant licences available on hand. 

Our indemnity form, which is standard practice for all outdoor activity parks, must be signed upon entry. Our hostess will further explain all available activities and all of our guests are handed a printed flyer that contains our safety tips. We do this to ensure everyone that enters the facility is fully aware of the potential risks related to watersport activities.

The claims that have been made about no lifeguards being present at the facility have been categorically untrue. We always have a lifeguard on duty. Together with our other staff members, they patrol the facility to ensure the safety and well-being of visitors. There is also a boat with a skipper on the water at all times. 

All safety staff are required to wear bright yellow & red vests to make them easily visible to all visitors. After several discussions with our team, however, we have found that these are uncomfortable and that it restricts their movements whilst exercising their duties. We have therefore decided to create new outfits for both our lifeguards and our additional staff members to allow them to perform to the best of their abilities, while still being highly visible to visitors. 

All Blue Rock's staff members have walkie-talkies which makes communication easier. The cable operator also has a loudspeaker which he uses whenever he needs to announce something or alert visitors in the water. This allows for quick response times when any incidents may occur, and the necessary steps can be taken.

Blue Rock has all the required safety equipment on hand such as rescue rings, as well as rescue buoys, which are available and easily accessible around the lake. A first-aid kit with a mouth-to-mouthpiece for CPR is available at all times. Blue Rock has a special relationship with the Gordon's Bay Ambulance service, which when needed, will be on the scene within minutes. 

One of the most common problems is people claiming to be able to swim, when in fact, they can't. This is why we always urge our visitors to wear lifejackets, which is also enforced when taking part in any of our water activities. Although, keeping the above in mind, and with all the safety checks and debriefs done upon entering the premises, it is near impossible for Blue Rock to tell when someone is not telling the truth about their swimming capabilities. They should not enter the water as stated in our safety debrief and flyers. 

There are designated safe areas which people can use for rock jumping. They are regularly inspected by our safety marshal. Blue Rock prohibits any individual who wants to attempt rock jumping from the higher areas, as it is extremely dangerous. This is why these areas are fenced off and visitors are barred from entry. Unfortunately despite this, thrill-seekers tend to disregard any warnings and access these sealed off areas to jump from the highest points in the gorge. Our staff at the entrance carry binoculars, which they regularly use to keep a lookout for anyone on the cliffs. They will radio to the nearby staff members to assist should they notice any trespassers. 

In response to Carte Blanche:

What has been said about Blue Rock in a recent episode of Carte Blanche, is a gross misinterpretation of reality.

We care deeply about the lives lost and those affected by these tragic accidents. Blue Rock has made public statements regarding these events, addressing every single one of them through the media (newspapers, radio stations, etc.), and have reached out to the families affected. Often the affected family members of the deceased would come to Blue Rock a day or two after the incident happened, sometimes even a month or a year down the line; some to collect soil for the burial, others to send a burial message into the water. Blue Rock always had an open door for them and never charged entrance fees. 

Jeremias Lubela, who passed away on the 22nd of January 2020,  is claimed to have been a professional diver, and was trained by a commercial dive school. It is important to note that the Blue Rock premises were simply being used/hired out as the dive school's training ground due to the depth of the lake. Therefore, Blue Rock staff was not present to oversee the event and all the divers were in the care of their instructor. Due to this, Blue Rock cannot take responsibility for the incident or provide any further information as to what happened.  

In response to the entrance fee issue of Eben Mouton's family (Eben being the deceased who passed away at Blue Rock in 2012, jumping off a 40-60 metre cliff which was a restricted area with fencing and a warning sign), Blue Rock's owners are unaware of asking entrance fees from the deceased's family when they wanted to visit the establishment to release a balloon in memory of Eben. If they reached out to us personally, the entrance fee would definitely never have been charged. 

On the 25th of February 2018 Obakeng Maswanganye arrived at the resort with his stepmother, stepbrother and cousin. The three boys decided to leap together into the lake. This is when Blue Rock's staff members noticed that they were struggling to swim and immediately stepped in to assist. Unfortunately, only two out of the three boys could be saved. Again, our deepest condolences go out to Obakeng's stepmother, Nontombi Hlongwane. 

In the clip shown regarding the death of Thando Mpande on the 13th of December 2019, you can see Blue Rock's lifeguard walking away from the scene after pulling him from the water. This was only due to professional rescuers/policemen being present, who offered to take over the CPR efforts. An ambulance was called by Blue Rock's staff members and a CPR mouthpiece was given from Blue Rock's first aid kit. The area where they were trying to resuscitate Thando was extremely narrow, therefore management decided to oversee the rescue efforts, due to the already crowded area. They awaited the arrival of the ambulance, while, the above-mentioned professionals already stepped in to assist. None of this is properly portrayed in the clip. 

Finally, the reason for not giving an official statement to Carte Blanche was due to a few factors. Blue Rock opted to rather correspond via email due to the sensitive subject matter. This led to the exchange never happening with Carte Blanche, as Blue Rock was not given enough time to respond. Instead, they showed up at the premises without notifying us and only introducing themselves with a first name (Derek) instead of the TV show (Carte Blanche); making the owners feel threatened. The interaction was brief and we understand people have strong feelings about this and how it might have come across in the aired clip. It was an already tense situation, and this was unfortunately made worse by forcing us to respond immediately, even though we have made it very clear that we were, and still are, happy to respond to any questions via email due to the sensitive nature.  

Lastly, Blue Rock understands the public's frustration and anger about many of the concerns raised. While we are truly deeply saddened about past events and the tragedies that have taken place, we assure you that we always do our best to put our guests' safety first. These events have taken a toll on everyone involved. Blue Rock understands that there is always room for improvement regarding the safety of our visitors. Therefore we are currently busy with upgrading the signage, safety staff's uniforms, fencing of potentially prohibited areas and signage to highlight where visitors can get first aid support and kits.

Blue Rock has been around for the past 17 years, and that is why we are taking this time to make any necessary changes to ensure that we can create a better and even safer experience for visitors in future.

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